Prince of Death
by percylupin
Summary: At age thirteen, Sirius Orion Black was your average wizard in training. Sure, he came from a slightly darker family, but he had chosen to ignore that. In a whirlwind of events, Sirius finds himself, not only across the ocean, but living a life he never thought possible as the son of Thanatos. With his new title of Prince of Death, will Sirius still be able to live a normal life?
1. The Son of Death

**I know, I should be writing the new chapter for Fight for Home, but this was bothering me, and I wanted to write it down before I forgot it. I hope you like it. I had lots of fun writing it.**

In number twelve Grimmauld Place, thirteen-year old Sirius Black sat drumming his fingers on the wooden table in the kitchen. Sirius' parents sat across from him with their hands primly folded on their laps. Sirius' black hair fell into his grey eyes as he glared up at his parents through dark lashes.

"Why am I here?" Sirius asked through gritted teeth. He could be locked in his room right now, writing a letter to James or reading the muggle magazine he had snuck into the house.

Orion Black glared at Sirius through hooded eyes and gestured to his wife, who was looking very triumphant. Walburga sat up even straighter when Sirius' gaze was turned to her. The utter glee in her eyes was unnerving to Sirius, but he refused to let his nerves show.

"We're getting rid of you," Walburga began almost giddily. There was no sugar coating the statement, just straight forward coldness. Sirius' eyes widened at his mother's bluntness. He knew this day would come. He had known for awhile now, ever since he was put in Gryffindor, but he had thought, more hoped, his parents would at least show a little remorse. All he could find in their expressions was happiness and hate for him.

"You are not my son," Orion continued for his wife, his own eyes glittering maliciously. Sirius gulped. How could what Orion was saying be true? He may have never liked his parents, but he could always say they were his. And now to find out they weren't his?

"Your father is a man named Thanatos," Walburga cut in. "Go find him if you must, but don't come crying back to us if he doesn't want you either." Walburga stood up abruptly. "Go pack your things, boy. I want you gone with in the next two hours." Walburga and Orion left the room, leaving Sirius to stare into nothingness.

Slowly, Sirius stood up and walked to his room. He collapsed back onto his bed to let everything sink in. Orion wasn't his father. No, Sirius' father was a man named Thanatos. Who was he? Why did that name sound so familiar? Maybe he was a prominent pureblood figure. That would make sense, but Sirius had the feeling that wasn't it. Sirius could only hope the man didn't support Voldemort. He didn't know what he would do with himself if that was the case. Perhaps the Potters would take him in. They had always been extremely kind to him.

A loud crack filled the air in Sirius' bedroom. Sirius looked up to see Kreacher, the Black family house elf, standing in the middle of the room, two large suitcases in his wrinkled hands. Kreacher grinned eerily at Sirius.

"What do you want?" Sirius mumbled. Looking around his room, he noticed that everything that he hadn't permanently stuck to the wall was gone. He had a feeling that everything missing was packed in the two suitcases.

"Mistress asked Kreacher to pack bags for the filthy halfbreed. She wants the filth out of her house." Kreacher gave Sirius a cruel smirk, dropping the bags onto the worn black carpet. Kreacher disappeared with another equally loud crack.

Sirius stood up on two shaky legs. It was all so final. He had no time to get used to it. His mother was kicking him out for good, and Sirius didn't know what to do. For years, all he wanted was out, but now that it was here, Sirius wasn't sure he still wanted it.

With shaking fingers, Sirius picked up the two bags. They're heavy. His family wasn't even considerate enough to put weightless charms on the heavy bags that most likely held all of Sirius' belongings. Sirius pulled out his own wand and cast the charm. He knew by now the Ministry won't be able to sense the small use of magic with him living in a magical household. Sliding his wand back into his pocket, Sirius tightened his grip on the handles. He took one tentative step forward. After the first one, the others became easier. Sirius nearly ran down the stairs, and didn't stop until he ran his younger brother, half-brother, over.

"What's going on Sirius?" Regulus asked cautiously. He had seen his parents walking around gleefully, occasionally letting out a joyous laugh. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I'm leaving, Reggie," Sirius said curtly. He looked sadly at his younger brother before walking around him and exiting through the front door. An older muggle boy stared at him as he walked out of the house. Sirius ignored him and closed the door behind himself. He was free. He was leaving, and he refused to look back. His heart lurched at the thought of never seeing his brother again, but Sirius set forth with new determination. He was leaving his old family to find a new one. Maybe his father would have other children. Maybe he had a younger sister who he could take care of, or an older brother to tell him how to get girls.

Sirius let out a giddy laugh. For the first time since this morning, he felt excitement coursing through his veins. Sirius set forth onto the main road. He nearly ran down the road towards the muggle library. Perhaps there would be a mention of his father there.

Sirius pulled open the door and walked up to the front desk. His bags felt heavy in his hands despite the weightless charm as everyone's eyes turned towards him. The old woman at the front desk glared at Sirius' scruffy appearance from over the bridge of her bulbous nose. It was only then that Sirius realized he was still wearing his sweat pants and Stones tee shirt.

"I was wondering if you had anything on someone named Thanatos," Sirius said. He fidgeted under the woman's gaze. Her piercing grey eyes seemed to burn through his body. When she stood up, she was the same height as Sirius' 5'7".

"Follow me," the woman said in a raspy voice. It was obvious to Sirius that the woman smoked. None the less, Sirius followed the woman to the back of the library. She pulled a thin book out from a shelf and handed it to him. Sirius thanked her quickly and rushed off to the table in the corner of the room. He looked at the title of the book: _Gods of Death and Their Religions_.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sirius mumbled as he took in the old cover and faded pages. "Gods of Death?" Shaking his head, he flipped the book open and ran down the Table of Contents. Sure enough, Thanatos was on the list, right after Shinigamis. Sirius groaned and flipped the book to page 39.

On the top of the page was a Greek symbol. Sirius recognized it as the letter theta. Underneath the symbol was Thanatos' name. On the corner of the page was a chart listing Thanatos' parents, siblings, and symbols.

Sirius shut the book with an exasperated groan. "My mum can't expect me to believe this shit," he muttered. He stood up to put the book back. Running his fingers through his hair, Sirius realized his stupidity. "Gringotts," he grumbled. Sirius grabbed his two bags and left the library hurriedly, feeling the scrutiny of the old librarian.

Once outside, Sirius pulled out his wand and held it out, jumping back as the Knight Bus screeched to a stop. The doors swung open and a man stepped down. "What'll it be, boy?" he asked.

"Diagon Alley," Sirius said quickly. He reached into his bag and grabbed two sickles from his bag. He handed it to the man and sat down on one of the seats on the first floor. It only took a few seconds for the bus to travel across London, and it stopped in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

Sirius climbed off along with a young man who Sirius recognized as an older boy from school. Sirius skirted passed him, not in the mood to talk to the seventh year. He walked out of the pub rear entrance and into the bustling crowds of Diagon Alley. Sirius dodged in between elderly couples, small families, and single woman running around to get to the marble doors of Gringotts.

Ignoring the odd looks he got from other bank patrons, Sirius stepped up to a goblin and waited to be acknowledged. The goblin looked up from the parchment he was holding to stare down at Sirius.

"How may I help you, Mr. Black?" the goblin asked. He folded his long fingers in front of him.

"I need to speak to a manager," Sirius said quietly, so as not to alert anyone around him. "I need a heritage test done. I've recently discovered Orion Black is not my real father." The goblin looked at Sirius sharply before nodding and hopping off his stool.

"Come with me, Mr. Black," the goblin called, beckoning over his shoulder for Sirius to follow. Sirius followed quickly behind him. The goblin led Sirius to a large, ornate room with swords and other weapons lining the walls. A muscled goblin sat in the cushioned chair behind the desk, wearing an expensive suit made of what Sirius assumed was silk. The two goblins spoke in Gobbledygook for a few minutes.

The first goblin left the room, and the second one turned to face Sirius. He placed a small stone basin on the desk in front of him and a silver knife next to it. The goblin straightened his jacket sleeves.

"My name is Stonecleaver, Mr. Black," the goblin sneered. He held the knife out to Sirius. "If you'll take the knife and slice you palm, Mr. Black. Allow no less than ten drops of your blood to fall into the bowl."

Sirius took the knife and held it to his palm. He stared for a second at the blade resting against his pale skin. Did he really want to know this? Sirius decided that yes, he did. He sliced the knife through his palm and watched the red start to come to the surface. Sirius held his hand over the bowl and watched his blood seep into the bowl.

Once enough blood was in the bowl, the goblin ran a finger along Sirius' cut and sealed the cut. Stonecleaver held his hands over the bowl and began chanting in Gobbledygook. The bowl glowed a dull red, and Stonecleaver poured the blood onto a long piece of parchment.

The blood soaked into the parchment, and names began to appear. Sirius' own name was in the center of the parchment. Branching outwards and upwards, Walburga's family was listed. On the bottom half of the parchment, was Sirius' father's family. The name Thanatos was directly below Sirius' own. And under Thanatos' name were the names Nyx and Erebus.

"It's real," Sirius choked out. "Gods are real, and my dad is the god of Death." He put his head in his hands and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "This is insane." Stonecleaver raised his eyebrows and stared down its long nose at Sirius.

"If magic is real, why is it the Greek gods cannot be?" he asked. Sirius looked at him through his fingers. "The knife you used, it's Celestial bronze. It can only be used on monsters, gods, and those with godly blood." Sirius fingered the knife he still held in his hands.

"What do I do now?" he asked, raising the knife to study the blade.

"If I were you," Stonecleaver drawled out, "I would go to the home of the gods and find my father." Sirius nodded and stood up to leave.

"Mount Olympus it is." He held the knife up between his thumb and forefinger. "Mind if I keep this? You can get the money out of my personal vault to pay for it." The goblin nodded his head and watched Sirius walk out the door to the Entrance Hall of the bank.

"Good luck, Prince of Death," Stonecleaver whispered under his breath before getting up and walking out the side door in his office.


	2. Mount Olympus

**So, it's been a while since I updated this, but I wanted to make this chapter perfect. Y'all deserve that. Now, since I am not Greek or French, my translations mostly depended on Google Translate. Please bare with me on them. I think the French translations are better than the Greek because I am a French II student, and I tried to keep the sentences simple. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

Sirius stepped out of the muggle shop with new clothes in his bags. He felt far more comfortable now that he was in real clothes and not his pajamas. The muggle outfit consisted of tight fitting black skinny jeans with silver chains hanging from them, a Black Sabbath tee-shirt, and a black leather jacket. A pair of leather muggle flip flops were all Sirius wore to protect his feet. He had never liked shoes.

Sirius tightened his grip on his bags before heading down the street to the nearest train station. He would need to catch the Chunnel to France if he had any hope of reaching Greece in the near future. Having no desire to take a plane from England, the Chunnel connecting Great Britain to mainland Europe was his only option.

The car was packed, and Sirius hunched his shoulders, trying to avoid touching anyone. To his left was a young, skinny woman with a surprisingly small amount of clothes on. Sirius could see her bra through her crop top and most of her midriff was exposed. On his other side, a middle aged man that was extremely overweight was filling up about two and a half seats.

The fat man scooted over farther into Sirius' seat, and Sirius shifted over to avoid being touched. He ended up falling into the woman's lap. Her cherry colored lips stretched over her white teeth in a wide smile, and her perfectly manicured nail stroked through Sirius' wavy hair.

"Hello, sweetie," the woman simpered. "There something I can help you with?" She pushed her chest out as far as she could. Sirius' eyes widened, and he straightened up quickly.

"I'm only thirteen," he gulped. The woman smiled gleefully.

"I'm sure I can show you a good time, dear." The woman leaned up against Sirius just as the train screeched to a hault.

"Bye," Sirius shouted loudly. The people in the car all turned to look at him as he rushed off the train into the French town of Lille. Sirius went up to a ticket booth. "_Où est l'aéroport, Monsieur?**(Where's the airport, sir?)**"_ he asked the man behind the desk.

"_Vous prenez à gauche lorsque vous quittez la station, et allez deux blocs. L'aéroport se trouve à votre droite_**_(Turn left when you leave the station and go two blocks. The airport is on your right_**_)__,"_ the man behind the desk smiled.

"_Merci, Monsieur**(Thank you, sir)**,"_ Sirius grinned in reply, the French easily leaving his mouth. He was glad his "parents" had made him study it when he was younger. Sirius turned on his heel and left the station. He turned left, and went two blocks down the road, following the man's instructions. True to his word, the entrance to the airport was there.

Sirius stepped inside and walked up to a ticket machine. _Appuyez ici pour commencer_, he read off a button a the screen. He tapped the button and began scrolling through the airports. _Lufthansa, Gréce._ _633€._

"That's the closest I'll get to Mount Olympus," Sirius muttered under his breath. He tapped the airport name. A list of flights appeared on the screen. At the top was one listed for that day in two hours. Sirius smiled to himself and bought the ticket, using the Gringotts credit card the goblins had given him before he left the bank.

* * *

Sirius relaxed once the flight took off. So far, his journey had been smooth and flawless. He could only hope it would continue that way. "_Bonjour**(Hello)**,"_ the dark skinned man sitting next to him greeted.

"_Bonjour, Monsieur**(Hello, sir)**,"_ Sirius replied calmly. The aura this man let out soothed Sirius' own. "_Oú allez-vous?"_ He could use the company to distract him from the three and a half hour flight to Greece.

"_Je suis visite la famille, et vous?**(I'm visiting my family. You?)**"_ the man said in kind. He smiled, his white teeth standing out against his chocolate skin.

"_Je cherche mon pére**(I'm looking for my father.)**,"_ Sirius said sadly. He would never see this man again, it's not like it mattered what he told him.

"_Bonne chance, Sirius**(Good luck, Sirius)**,"_ the man muttered under his breath. Sirius looked up in shock. He had never told the man his name, but when he looked up, the man was gone. Sirius shook his head and leant against the window. He closed his eyes and fell asleep to the nightmare dreams he was so often subjected too.

* * *

Sirius stared around the large bright room. A young girl lay on the white bed in the center of the room. He slowly walked over to stand beside the girl. Her hazel eyes were bleary from sleep, but they lit up when they saw Sirius.

"Are you my angel?" the girl asked excitedly. Her pale hand reached out to grab onto Sirius'. "Is it my turn to go to heaven?" Sirius frowned slightly and ran his finger through the girl''s short, straw-like blonde hair.

"What's your name, darling?" Sirius asked her. "Mine is Sirius."

"My name is Charlotte," the girl said. She began to cough. "_Are _you my angel, Sirius?"

"Yes, Charlotte," Sirius answered. "I'm your angel. Can you tell me what happened to you?" He sat down in the chair besides Charlotte's bed. The young girl couldn't have been much older than five years old. She looked so frail and tiny, and her bones were showing through her skin.

"Mommy and Daddy did it," Charlotte whispered fiercely. "You're not going to bring them here are you? The police lady said I never got to see them again." Charlotte was visibly quivering, and Sirius pulled her frail body into his arms.

"I won't let them hurt you," Sirius promised. He rubbed Charlotte's back to soothe her and relaxed when he felt her fall asleep. Gently, he set her back on the bed.

"It's sad, isn't it," a man asked from behind Sirius. The man rested his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Watching one so young waste away."

"It was you," Sirius whispered. His grip on Charlotte's hand tightened. "On the plane."

"Yes, my son," Thanatos said. "It was me." With a snap of his fingers, a chair appeared next to Sirius. Thanatos sat down next to his son. "It is Charlotte's turn, Sirius."

"You're going to kill her, Father?" Sirius asked, aghast. He looked at his father in horror.

"It is her time, Sirius," Thanatos said softly. "She is in pain. It is time to say good bye." He rested his hand on Charlotte's forehead and closed his eyes. A dark shadow fell over her body before disappearing. Sirius checked Charlotte's pulse only to find none. "She was too young," Thanatos sighed. "There was not enough time. The judges are harsh, and will send her to Asphodel."

"That's not fair," Sirius complained. "It's not her fault her parents were assholes!"

"Not much in this world is fair," Thanatos replied. "Just like the life the fates have chosen for you." Thanatos snapped his fingers again, and the hospital bed disappeared. "You have been tasked with a hard job, and for that my son I am sorry." Thanatos looked around the white room. "You must leave now. The plane is landing. Go to the base of Olympus. A satyr will meet you there. He will bring you to the camp." Shadows began condensing around Thanatos.

"Wait, Father!" Sirius shouted. The darkness began to cling to him.

* * *

Sirius' eyes snapped open. He stood up as he realised everyone was standing up and grabbed his two bags from the overhead apartment. He followed the few people in front of him off the plane. Looking around, Sirius smiled when he realized he was away from his mother and stepfather. He walked quickly towards the exit into the fresh air.

There was a bus station just outside the plane station, and Sirius got in line to buy a ticket. He looked up at the board and was shocked when the letters rearranged themselves so he could understand. Αθήνα became Athens, Ολυμπία became Olympia, and Όλυμπο became Mount Olympus.

Sirius stepped up to the front desk, smiling charmingly at the young girl behind the desk. She smiled lightly back at him. "_Γεια σας! Πώς μπορώ να σας βοηθήσω?"_ _Hello! How may I help you?_ Sirius relaxed as he realized the words were translating themselves into his mind.

"_Ένα εισιτήριο για τον Όλυμπο, παρακαλούμε." One ticket to Mount Olympus, please._ Sirius reached into his bag for his wallet.

"_Δέκα ευρώ," 10 Euros, _the girl said, typing information into her keyboard and printing a ticket out for Sirius. Sirius pulled the money out of his wallet and handed it to the girl. She gave him a friendly wave and took the money from him. Sirius grabbed his ticket and made his way out to the buses, intent on just sitting on the bus and relaxing until it left.

* * *

The bus ride to Mount Olympus was shorter than Sirius thought it would be. There was hardly any traffic on the roads of Greece. It was so different than what he had seen of the muggle roads in London.

The bus had pulled up pretty much right at the base of the mountain. Sirius picked up his bags and made his way to the edge of the sidewalk. A elder man leaning on a baseball bat was standing there, as though he was waiting for someone.

"You Sirius Black?" the man asked in perfect English. Sirius nodded his head, shocked to meet someone who spoke English in the middle of Greece. "Don't look so shocked, Cupcake," the man grinned. "Chiron sent me to come pick you up. The name's Gleeson Hedge."

"You're the satyr," was all Sirius could think to say. Gleeson raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did ya expect me to run around with only my fur covering me?"


	3. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood

**Okay, so sorry this took so long to put together. I honestly kind of forgot about it. Anyway, this is Sirius arriving at Camp Half-Blood and meeting some new people.**

"So where are you taking me exactly?" Sirius asked as Gleeson shoved him onto another airplane in Spain. Boy and satyr took their seats.

"Camp Half-Blood," Gleeson grunted. "It's a safe place for people like you."

"You mean demigods," Sirius whispered harshly. "But I don't understand. Where _is_ Camp Half-Blood?"

"Long Island," Gleeson said shortly. Sirius glared at him.

"Could you be any more helpful? I have no idea where Long Island is!"

"New York." Gleeson turned to face Sirius fully as the plane took off. "That's in America. I'm assuming you know where America is Cupcake." Sirius scowled at the satyr and turned to face the window. He leaned against it and closed his eyes. Gleeson turned away from Sirius and crossed his arms.

* * *

The drive to camp was long, and Sirius was glad to get out and stretch his legs. He could see the pine tree at the top of the hill and was looking forward to getting to the camp. These people were kind of like his family in a weird twisted way. It was like Wizarding England. All the purebloods were related somehow and in someway.

At the top of the hill, Sirius could see the entire camp. Their was a large blue farmhouse. Next to it was what looked like a volleyball court and a basketball court. A bunch of blonde teenagers and what appeared to be satyrs were playing basketball. A few yards from the court was a stable. A tall black girl was leading a brown horse, no, a pegasus, from the stable with a shorter brunette girl next to her. To the left of the stable was an open air pavillion, and just a little behind the pavillion was a large group of twelve cabins, each one different from the next. On all sides of the camp were thick forests except one, which had a beautiful beach looking out onto the water.

"Nice, isn't it?" Gleeson smirked. He clapped Sirius on the shoulder and started down the hill. Sirius followed quickly behind him. Gleeson lead him down to the porch of the large blue farmhouse where a pudgy man with a red bulbous nose.

"A new one?" the man groaned. "I suppose I must say hello. What's your name again, boy?"

Sirius scowled at the man. This man reminded him far too much of his stepfather for his liking. "My name is Sirius Black."

"Well then welcome Stephen Blackett. Now if you all will excuse me, I am going to go take a nap before dinner." The pudgy man didn't say another word and left before Sirius could have a chance to correct him on his name.

"I apologize for him, Mr. Black," the centaur said. He had curly brown hair down a little past his chin. His chest was bare, like most centaurs Sirius had encountered. This one had a bow and quiver strapped to his back. "My name is Chiron. I'm the Activities Director here."

"Hello," Sirius said, sticking out his hand. He wasn't a fan of physical contact, but he figured he should do the polite thing. Chiron smiled at him and shook the proffered hand.

"I'll bring you to the Hermes cabin," Chiron smiled. "Luke, the counsellor of the cabin, can show you around from there." Chiron stepped down from the porch and beckoned for Sirius to follow him. "Come, Mr. Black. I'll bring you to Cabin Eleven."

Sirius followed Chiron past the stable, which he made a wide arc around, past the basketball and volleyball courts, past the pavillion and into the area with the cabins. In the center was a large fire pit with a young girl, around Sirius' age, tending the hearth,

"Who is that? he asked, gesturing towards the girl.

Chiron smiled at Sirius. "That would be Lady Hestia, Mr. Black. She's the..."

"Eldest god," Sirius interrupted. He looked up at Chiron's amused face. "Sorry, sir. I read up when my mother told me about my father is."

"Right," Chiron said. "She was the first born daughter of Kronos." Chiron continued on, but Sirius waved to Hestia before following him. She smiled gently and waved back. "Here we are." Chiron swung open the door of the last cabin in the row on the left. "Cabin Eleven." A tall, blonde boy stood up and stood in the doorway.

"Regular, or undetermined, Chiron?" he asked.

"Undetermined, Luke," Chiron sighed. The way he said it, Sirius got the feeling he knew exactly who his father was. "I'll let you show him around from here." Without another word, Chiron cantered away.

"Luke Castellan, Counsellor for Cabin Eleven, Son of Hermes," the boy introduced himself, sticking his hand out for Sirius to shake. Sirius did so with a slight smirk.

"Sirius Black, Wizard, Son of Thanatos," he snarked back at Luke. Luke's eyes widened.

"Like wand kind of wizard? And what do you mean son of Thanatos? Chiron said you were undetermined." Luke spoke quickly and quietly, hardly stopping for breath. Sirius grabbed his wand from the holster on his wrist and showed it to Luke.

"Yes, the wand kind of wizard, and I mean I'm a son of Thanatos. He's been sending me dreams. He just hasn't officially claimed me yet." Sirius spoke in the same tone as Luke, his voice betraying no emotion.

"He'll probably claim you at dinner or the camp fire," Luke said eagerly. "I've never met a son of Thanatos before." Sirius sighed. He hoped Luke wouldn't be a fanboy like Peter. He looked a little too old and mature though, so Sirius supposed he was safe for now. "Here, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping. You're in luck. A daughter of Hephaestus just got claimed." Luke stepped aside for Sirius to enter the room and shut the door tightly. Three other boys were sitting on the floor in the middle of the cabin, playing some type of poker.

"Newby?" the tallest of the three boys asked.

"Yeah," Luke grinned. "Chris, Travis, Connor, this is Sirius Black, son of Thanatos. Sirius, these are my half brothers. Chris Rodriguez is the tallest. Travis and Connor Stoll are the identical ones even though they were born a year apart. Travis is the eldest and he has about an inch on Connor."

"He does not!" the shortest boy shouted. Sirius supposed that must be Connor. "Are you really a son of the god of death Black?" Connor asked. Sirius nodded his head.

"Well, let's try to make him feel at home boys," Travis said. He pointed to a sleeping bag in the far corner of the room. "You can have that one, Sirius. Nyssa just moved out."

"Thanks," Sirius grinned. He dropped his two bags on the sleeping bag.

"I wouldn't do that," Chris snickered. "It won't last long without constant supervision."

"Try and touch it, you'll get zapped," Sirius replied simply. He stuffed his wand in his bag and smirked at the four boys. Travis and Connor grinned widely back at him.

"I think you'll get along just fine here," Connor said. Luke rolled his eyes at his brothers.

"Come on, Sirius," Luke said. "I'll show you around camp." Sirius nodded and followed the older boy out of the room.

* * *

"And these are the bathrooms and showers," Luke said, gesturing to the brown buildings in from of them.

"Hey, Luke," a girl shouted from behind them. "Who's the newby!"

Luke and Sirius both turned around to face the girl. She was older than Sirius by a few years, but definitely younger than Luke. She had stringy, brown hair, and was packing some muscles, but she was pretty in her own right.

"This is Sirius Black, Clarisse," Luke sighed. "He's staying in my cabin."

"Is he ready for the ritual," the girl, Clarisse, smirked. She cracked her knuckles.

"Just leave him alone, Clarisse," Luke groaned. He rubbed his hand down his face, like he was too tired to deal with this.

"Come at me," Sirius said before Luke could respond. Clarisse grinned, showing her teeth, and took a step forward. Luke put his hand on Sirius' shoulder to try and stop him, but Sirius just shrugged him off.

Clarisse sneered down at the younger boy and charged forwards towards him. Sirius crouched as if to intercept her, but at the last second he jumped to the side. Clarisse continued to barrel forwards. She flipped back to face him, and she growled at him. Sirius curled his lip in distaste and let her charge forwards again. Instead of sidestepping her, he grabbed her arm with one hand and used his elbow to slam into her shoulder blade and send her crashing into the ground. Clarisse rolled over to face him, open mouthed.

"You have relatives like mine," Sirius said quietly, "you learn to defend yourself quick." He held out his hand and helped Clarisse up. "Sirius Black, at your service, my lady." Sirius did a quick bow and kissed Clarisse's knuckles, the only thing he had ever really learned in all his pureblood etiquette classes.

"Clarisse La Rue," she replied. "Daughter of Ares. I must say, I wouldn't mind having you on my Capture the Flag team." Clarisse turned to face Luke. "What do you say, Castellan?" she grinned. "Our cabins team up?"

"What do we get in return?" Luke answered with a slight smirk. Sirius had a feeling he was already going to say yes.

"My cabin will do all the Hermes cabins chores until the next game?" Clarisse bargained, holding out her hand. Luke shook it with a nod of his head.

**To clear up any confusion, only Luke, Chris, Travis, and Connor know Sirius is a son of Thanatos because they're the only people he told about his parentage. Please give me any feedback you may have. I take constructive criticism, but I DO NOT accept flames.**


	4. Capture the Flag

**So, hey. I got a new chapter up! I hope you all enjoy it. Updates for this story will be very sporadic, so I apologize, but I do have the whole thing planned out, so it will get finished. It will just take some time.**

**Thank you for your reviews. I am going to start answering them here.**

**Ghostunderasheet: Thanks a lot. This is the summer before Percy shows up. Here is another chapter of Camp Half-Blood. You will find out about Remus, James, and Peter's reactions next chapter.**

**Avalonemyst: Thank you!**

**Suzululu4moe: Thanks. You bring up a good point about the Deathly Hallows. While Sirius can never be his father's "master", I think the Deathly Hallows would have to answer to him in a way because he is the Prince of Death. Kreacher is mean to everyone. You will find out why Thanatos had Sirius with Walburga. I think I might make Severus a Roman demigod when I get there in the story, but The Heroes of Olympus series will also be another book in the Prince of Death series that I'm planning. So not really sure on that one. Sirius and Severus will definitely not get along though.**

It was a beautiful day, Sirius decided. The sun was shining, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. The armor Connor and Travis had found him was a little loose on his small frame, and the sword Luke had given him was a little long. Sirius didn't really mind though. A little flick of his wand, and the weight didn't bother him at all. Thank the gods the trace didn't work here in America.

"You all set?" Chris asked from beside him. A crooked grin twisted his lips.

"I suppose," Sirius said. "No one's exactly told me what I'm supposed to be doing. Chris laughed.

"Stick with me, Black," he replied, his tone mischievous. "Clarisse has the Stolls and me guarding the flag with Silena from the Aphrodite cabin." Sirius looked at the older boy weirdly.

"What about the rest of the Aphrodite cabin?" he asked. Chris rolled his eyes and pointed with his sword to where a bunch of giggling girls and boys were sitting together gossiping.

"Lena's the only one who actually participates." Sirius was almost positive Chris' glare was enough to burn a hole through the back of the black-haired girl he was staring at. "The rest of 'em are a bunch of prima donnas."

"Watch your mouth around my siblings, Rodriguez," a busty black-haired girl snapped. She was pale with crystal blue eyes, and Sirius swore he had never seen someone so beautiful. "They're a load of shallow idiots, but they're still my family." The girl turned to Sirius and smiled. "You must be the newby. I'm Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Sirius Black," said boy replied. He took Silena's outstretched hand and kissed the top of it, bending slightly at the waist. The girl blushed and grinned brightly at him.

"Finally, a real gentleman around here," she giggled. "I look forward to working with you, Sirius Black." Silena smiled and waved before jogging off to go talk to a bulky African-American boy. Sirius stared open-mouthed after her.

"She's a little much when you're still getting used to her," Chris laughed. A conch horn blew in the distance,and Chris' grin widened. "C'mon! The game's about to start!"

Chris grabbed Sirius' hand and started running. The two boys ran into the forest and to where Connor and Travis were waiting.

"Took you two long enough," Travis grinned once he spotted his older brother and Sirius. "We were beginning to worry. Where's Silena?"

"Right here," the girl called from a few yards behind Sirius and Chris. "Sorry, I was talking to Charlie." A light blush was covering her cheeks, and Sirius wondered who this _Charlie_ might be. Before he had a chance to ask, the conch horn blew again, and the game began.

It was fifteen minutes before the first few warriors showed up. Two sons of Dionysus, a daughter of Apollo, and a son of Athena no more than a year older than Sirius. The son of Athena immediately started circling Chris while the two sons of Dionysus engaged Travis and Connor. The daughter of Apollo drew her knife on Silena. Sirius' eyes darted back and forth, not knowing whose fight to join. A cold knife pressed itself to the back of his neck.

"Hello there," a girl's voice hissed in his ear. Sirius spun around to see no one. He frowned. There had definitely been someone there. He drew his sword and glared into the empty space. How could someone without magic have disappeared? It hit him. He had seen James do it plenty of times. He had done it himself a few times.

"Hello," Sirius said ominously as he kicked the dirt he was standing in. It flew up to reveal the outline of two legs. He swung down, and the legs jumped up. A girl appeared in his view.

"How did you – " she started before breaking off, a baseball cap in her hand. She snarled and swung down at Sirius with her knife. Sirius just managed to bring up his sword in time to block her. He managed to block her a few more times before she managed to twist her knife and disarm him. Sirius ended up on the ground with his own sword pointing at his neck.

"I win," the girl smirked. She dropped his sword next to him, and went to pick up the flag. The others were too busy in there own battles. The girl picked the flag up and ran off, not looking back.

"Damn," Sirius cursed. He picked his sword back up and took off after the girl. There was no way he was letting her get away with that. He chased her through the woods, almost growling in agitation. He would _not_ let this girl win. He picked up the speed and cut in front of the girl, only a few feet from the river, the border.

Sirius could practically feel the stares of many people as he black and defended against the girl's knife. Years of dodging his mother and step-fathers hits, curses, and kicks had made him agile and good at blocking. He had faith in being able to hold off the girl at least for a while.

After a while, Sirius found himself going on the offensive rather than the defensive. There was definitely a crowd around him and this blond girl now. Out of the corner of his vision, Sirius could see Clarisse running towards them with a gray flag, Luke and a bunch of other kids following behind her, defending her from the other team.

The conch horn blew, and the girl threw down the flag. Clarisse had made it across. Sirius' team had won. The girl glared at him with her stormy gray eyes before sticking out her hand.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," she introduced. Sirius took her hand and shook it.

"Sirius Black," he replied. He looked on in shock as Annabeth's eyes widened, and she took a step back along with three-fourths of the people surrounding them. They all seemed to be staring a little above Sirius' head. An inverted torch with a shadowy butterfly flying over it had appeared above Sirius' head. Even as he watched, the symbol faded away.

"All hail Sirius Black, son of Thanatos," Sirius heard Chiron say loudly from behind him. Sirius' sword tip dropped to the ground as everyone kneeled before him.

* * *

_"__Merde!**(Shit)**" Sirius cursed in French as he woke up in a black room that was definitely not where he went to bed. "Where the fuck am I?" _

_"__Language, son," Sirius' father's deep voice came from behind him. Sirius flipped around and grinned up at his father. Thanatos held out his arms, and Sirius walked into them, letting his father hold him. If asked, Sirius would never admit how much he enjoyed being in his father's arms after being so long bereft of parental love and physical contact._

_"__Is this a dream?" Sirius asked after a few amazing moments in Thanatos' arms. "Or is this really happening?" He looked up into Thanatos' silver eyes, identical to his own. The only difference between father and son was the color of their skin._

_"__You are asleep," Thanatos said. "But this is very real. I am with you right now. We could spend hours here in your mind, and no one would be any the wiser." He smiled at his son and snapped his fingers. A charcoal gray couch appeared behind them, and father and son sat next to each other, Sirius curled into his father's side._

_"__Why are you here?" Sirius asked cautiously. He looked up at the god, who had an eyebrow quirked. "If you don't mind me asking that is," Sirius quickly added on. A soft chuckle escaped Thanatos' lips._

_"__A father cannot visit his son just to speak with him?" Thanatos said humorously. It was Sirius' turn to raise an eyebrow. "I have some things for you," the god admitted. He pulled a thick letter from the inside of his suit jacket. "Your Hogwarts letter," he said, putting the envelope into Sirius' hands._

_"__Thank you, Father," Sirius said. He put the letter in the pocket of his pajama pants._

_"__I also have your supplies for you," Thanatos said. "They're already in your trunk for school, which is under your bed. I also have a gift for you." Sirius cocked his head slightly to the left as his father pulled out a silver chain with an onyx butterfly hanging from it. "When you are in need, you can call forth the blade, Skia from the pendant."_

_"__Thank you again, Father," Sirius whispered in awe as his father laid the chain in his palms. He carefully hooked it around his neck. "This means more to me than you could ever know."_

_"__May the blade protect you always, my son," Thanatos said softly. He laid his hand on his son's shoulder. "I must take my leave now, child. We shall see each other soon._

* * *

Sirius' eyes snapped open, and he jerked up in bed. His hand went immediately to his neck where a silver necklace was hanging, and he smiled. It had all been real.

**I hope you liked. Please review to ask any questions or give constructive feedback. Please no flames. I know I am not an amazing writer. Instead of being rude about it, please try to help me make my writing better.**


	5. The Hogwarts Express

**Okay, so this is a shorter chapter, but I needed some way to introduce the other Marauders. The next chapter will hopefully be longer.**

**Thank you so much for all your reviews.**

**DarkKitsuneFluffy: Thank you!**

**K.K.o.t.S.S: Thanks a lot!**

**SassyDoe: I'll definitely do that.**

**Matt: Percy will appear in chapter nine.**

**aviendhaphiragon: Thank you! It's actually not my profile pic. My friend helped me choose it.**

Back in England. At the moment, England was the last place Sirius wanted to be. He wanted to be back at Camp Half-Blood hanging out with Luke, Connor, Travis, and Chris, picking fights with Clarisse, and going through the woods with Silena and Beckendorf. He did _not_ want to be sitting in an empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express waiting for James, Remus, and Peter to find him.

Unfortunately for him, that was exactly where he was, and his friends were already entering the compartment.

James was the first one through, and he practically threw himself onto Sirius. Sirius groaned and awkwardly patted James' back. Hadn't the boy learned by now that Sirius hated physical contact?

"Padfoot!" James whined into Sirius' orange camp T-shirt. "I owled you all the time over the summer, but you never replied! Why?" James moaned the last word so that it lasted for several extra seconds and hung in the air.

"I was in America," Sirius replied carefully. It would definitely not be good if he gave away too much information. "Visiting some family." There. Not exactly a lie. "I didn't get your letters all the way over there."

"Really?" Remus asked curiously. "I always assumed there was some sort of magic the owls used to reach their destinations." He was sitting across from Sirius and James with Peter sitting next to him, with the plumper boy bouncing up and down excitedly.

Sirius only shrugged in response before looking out the window. The sky was so gray and cloudy here in the United Kingdom compared to in Long Island. Sirius sat staring for several moments of peace. Sadly, they were not to last.

"Padfoot," James said loudly, and Sirius winced. Had his best mate always been that loud? "Let's plan our start of the year prank. And here, Sirius couldn't help but grin. He may be missing his new home right now, but there was never anything like a good prank to cheer him up.

"Don't give those to Peeves," Remus warned Sirius and James as the two boys folded up all of their parchment pieces and placed them in their pockets. "Don't think I won't tell Professor McGonagall."

"But Remus," Peter squeaked. "It'll be great."

"Yeah, Remus," Sirius laughed. "Can you imagine what it'll be like to see all the teachers speaking in rhymes tomorrow. Peeves is just a diversion so Filch won't notice us placing the charm." Remus still looked unsure.

"Don't worry, Moony," James grinned. "None of those plans we'll be giving Peeves have any chance of getting someone hurt. Not even one Slytherin."

"I guess," Remus sighed, though he still looked unsure. Suddenly a maniac grin lit up his face. "Do you think they'll have chocolate?" he asked. Sirius looked away from his friends to see they had entered the Great Hall, and Remus was eyeing the golden plates.

"How do you manage to change topics like that, mate?" Sirius asked, shaking with laughter. Remus looked at him like he was stupid.

"It's chocolate," he replied like that answered every question ever.

"Sure," James laughed. He slung an arm over Sirius' shoulders and lead him to the Gryffindor table. The two sat next to each other and waited for the sorting ceremony to begin.

"Here come the first years," Remus said, pointing over his shoulder as the doors to the Entrance Hall swung open dramatically. Sirius grinned as he saw the fifty students enter the hall warily.

"Were we that nervous?" he asked with a smirk. James laughed.

"Nah," he answered, still smiling like a loon. "We weren't scared of anything."

"Still aren't," Peter added in his squeaky voice. Sirius jumped. He had almost forgotten the smaller boy was there.

"The Sorting Hat's about to start," James said eagerly, staring up at the hat as it opened its mouth.

Sirius only half listened as the Sorting Hat talked about how he would sort all the first years. He was staring above the Sorting Hat at the teachers' table, looking for any new ones. The only new addition this year was a young woman, maybe in her early twenties, with mahogany hair and soft brown eyes. The new teacher's eyes caught Sirius', and he shuddered as they turned into a harsh glare. He had a feeling he would not like her class.

"So what _were _you doing with your relatives all the way in America?" James asked after the last first year had sat down.

"Uh," Sirius said, not sure how to phrase it. How was he supposed to explain his summer to a bunch of wizards that had no idea about the gods?

**Please give me your feedback. I love hearing it to make my writing better!**


	6. Professor Riley

**Here's the newest chapter! Yay! This is the first half of Sirius' third school year.**

**Reviews:**

**Sassydoe: I don't think Remus and James will find out during this book. Maybe in the second one, after Hogwarts.**

**Matt: Harry was born in the fall of 1959. His third year of Hogwarts would start in 1973, considering he would turn 13 in the beginning of his second year in 1972. On the other hand, going by the Percy Jackson timeline, the year should be 2004. I am following the Harry Potter timeline because Sirius is my main character, and he is all J.K. Rowling, so the year is 1973.**

**I hope you all enjoy this new chapter.**

At first, Sirius was a little awkward around his friends. They were mortal. He wasn't. And it wasn't like he could explain to them about what he was. Who knew what the consequences for that would be? Sirius had a feeling it wasn't anything good.

There was also the fact that as the middle of the month came closer, Remus was starting to act stranger and stranger. He was constantly fidgeting and was extremely jumpy. Not to mention his temper. The littlest things would set him off. It wasn't until the full moon came that the realization hit him. One of his best friends was a werewolf. And that was just his luck wasn't it.

And so, the day after the full moon, September 13th to be exact, Sirius cornered Remus.

"Remus," Sirius shouted after the taller boy. "We need to talk, mate!" Remus jerked around to face Sirius, and the shorter boy couldn't help but notice the new gash across his face. They were in a secluded hallway where no one could hear them.

"What about, Sirius?" Remus asked curiously.

"I know what you are," Sirius replied, almost conspiratorially. Remus paled dramatically, and Sirius put a hand on his arm to calm him down. "And its fine. I don't care."

"Really?" Remus asked nervously. He looked down at Sirius with wide eyes. "But I'm a monster."

"And I'm supposed to be a Death Eater," Sirius responded with a wry grin. "Doesn't change who I am on the inside, the boy you know." Sirius didn't mention the whole son of death thing. He wasn't sure Remus was ready for that little bit of information.

Remus smiled at his friend. Sirius understood. He understood how this wasn't Remus' choice. Remus could never be more grateful for that. He wrapped his lanky arms around Sirius.

"Thank you," he whispered so softly Sirius had to strain his hearing.

"I didn't do a thing," Sirius said, patting his friend on the back. "Are you going to tell James and Peter? They'll probably figure it out eventually." Remus looked at Sirius with wide amber eyes, and how had Sirius not noticed the werewolf tendencies earlier?

"I'm not ready," Remus mumbled, looking down at his shoes. Sirius rested a hand on his shoulder.

"When you are ready, I'll help you," he promised. Remus grinned widely at him.

* * *

Defense was by far Sirius' least favorite class this year. The teacher, Professor Riley, seemed to have a vendetta against him. She would go out of her way to point out Sirius' flaws and ridicule him. The Slytherins, especially Snape, were greatly amused by this, but Sirius was getting suspicious. No person could have that much hate for someone they hardly knew, could they?

"Pay attention, Mr. Black!" Riley snapped. "Just because your head is bigger than the Great Hall does not give you the right to slack off in my class."

Sirius scowled at her. He had just been copying down the notes on the board like everyone else in the classroom. James sent a worried glance at Sirius, but he just shrugged him off. He couldn't let this bother him. He had put up with the entire Hermes cabin all summer. He could put up with one bitchy teacher.

* * *

"Hey, Black!" Snape yelled from behind Sirius and his three friends. Sirius didn't bother to hold back as he turned around to face the greasy-haired Slytherin. Lily Evans was standing next to him, and James instantly began mussing up his hair in an attempt to impress her.

"What do you want, Snivellus?" Sirius sneered. He was honestly so fucking done, and did not want to put up with the annoying Slytherin.

"How's it feel to finally be the one getting made fun of constantly?" Snape seemed rather proud of himself for that one, and Sirius couldn't hold back his eyeroll.

"If that's all you have to say, you'll have to excuse me." Sirius started to turn around. "I am too tired for this shit."

"What, Black?" Snape jeered. "Too idiotic to think of a good comeback?"

"To that insult?" Sirius snapped, whirling around. "I don't feel like wasting my time." With that, Sirius turned on his heel and marched off. James, Remus, and Peter hurried after him.

* * *

"What the bloody hell was that about?" James demanded when they reached the common room. "You never turn down a fight with Snivellus."

"I'm just not in the mood," Sirius sighed. In truth, he missed Camp Half-Blood, or at least, the friends he had made there. He missed Beckendorf, Silena, and Clarisse. He missed Travis, Connor, and Chris, but, most of all, he missed Luke, who had become something like an older brother to him over the summer.

"Are you ill?" James joked. He put his hand on Sirius' forehead. "Should we take you to Pomphrey?" Sirius scowled at him. Remus seemed to know that Sirius was about to snap, and jumped in.

"Hey, guys," he muttered. "Can I tell you something?" Sirius looked at him in shock. He had a feeling he knew what this was about.

"Of course, Remus," Peter squeaked. He sat down on the floor in front of the arm chair Remus was perched on. Sirius and James were both sat on the adjacent couch.

"Anything, mate," James swore.

Remus looked around to make sure they were alone in the common room. His hands were pasty white and clenched together tight enough to break fingers.

"Promise you won't freak out?" Remus asked cautiously. Sirius moved to stand next to him, gripping his hand tightly.

"Are you two secretly dating or something?" James asked, staring wide-eyed at the two boy's joined hands.

"What- No!" Remus nearly shouted, yanking his hand from Sirius', but almost instantly missing the comfort it had given him. "I'm a werewolf." James grinned widely at him.

"No shit, Remus," he said. "I mean, your eyes are amber, you disappear every full moon, and you always look sick the week surrounding the full moon. We'd all have to have been idiots not to notice."

"Yeah," squeaked Peter in agreement. "James and I were trying to figure out ways to tell you we knew, but I guess now we don't have to."

"When did you figure it out?" Sirius asked. "I figured it out the first month back from school."

"October," James said. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Remus asked me not to."

* * *

Sirius was laughing as he and James shoved pie into their faces. Remus was counting down five minutes to see who could eat more of the pumpkin pie in the allotted time. James was winning so far, but Sirius didn't mind. He was having too much fun to care.

"And done!" Remus said. Sirius and James both dropped their forks and Peter inspected the pie plates.

"James wins," he announced. James grinned and held out his hand. Sirius rolled his eyes good naturedly, but still handed over two chocolate frogs.

"Thanks, Sirius," James grinned, already in the middle of tearing the wrapper off of groaned as he heard the sniff of disapproval.

"Is there a problem, Evans?" he nearly snarled. The red-head wrinkled her nose at him.

"You two are such pigs," she snapped. "Why would any sane person shove their faces with so much food. When you two get sick, I'm going to say 'I told you so'."

"It's called an eating contest," Sirius growled. "I believe the muggles invented it." Lily's glare hardened at him. Sirius ignored it. Lily got up and left the table to go sit with Alice Prewett, who was looking at the Marauders with at least some sympathy in her eyes.

"She is such a bitch," Sirius snarled once he was sure Lily was out of earshot. James looked resigned. Sirius knew he was completely, irrevocably in love with the girl.

"She's not that bad," Remus sighed. He had done many study sessions with Lily, and she honestly wasn't that bad when they were alone. James looked at him with a glint of hope in his eyes. He was so hopelessly in love with her.

"She'll come around, mate," Sirius said after a few moments of silence, patting James on the back.

* * *

"Hey, Sirius," a blond girl said, sitting down next to Sirius in the empty classroom. Sirius looked up at the girl and smiled. His heart started to beat a little faster.

"Hey, Marlene," he grinned, pushing his hair out of his face. He moved his bag off the table so Marlene could put her books down. "What's up?"

"Just wondering if you could help me with my Charms," she said, a wide grin splitting her face. "Professor Flitwick said either you would be able to help me with the cheering charm. I've been making the opposite happen." Marlene let out a little giggle, and Sirius was confused when it nearly took his breath away.

"No problem," he said. He pulled out his wand. "What part are you having trouble with?"

"Everything," Marlene sighed, a frown crossed her beautiful face, and Sirius had to turn around. Where were these thoughts coming from? "I just don't know what I'm doing wrong."

"Why don't you show me how you do it," Sirius suggested, "and then I'll show you what you're doing wrong."

"Okay," Marlene said, pulling her wand out. "On you?" Sirius nodded. She flicked her wand and said the incantation, "Hilaris!" Sirius felt tears prick his eyes. He wiped them away with his thumb, and put his hand on Marlene's arm, lowering her arm.

"For starters, you need to enunciate more," Sirius instructed, picking his own wand back up. "Try stressing the first syllable more than the last one. Secondly, you're flicking your wand down, when it's supposed to be up. Do you mind?" Marlene shook her head, and Sirius demonstrated the charm on her, sending her into fits of giggles. He quickly cancelled it.

"That was brilliant" Marlene announced with a wide flourish of her arms. Sirius grinned at her in response, trying to figure out why this girl gave him butterflies in his stomach.

"You try," he replied. Marlene pointed her wand at him and tried the charm again. Sirius broke out in fits of laughter. Marlene clapped excitedly.

"I did it!" she cheered. Sirius couldn't stop laughing.

* * *

"I need to speak with you, Mr. Black," Professor Riley called from inside the Defense classroom. Sirius groaned and turned around to go back in.

"I'll see you guys later," he mumbled to James, Peter, and Remus. "Coming, Professor!"

Sirius entered the classroom, and looked around for the professor.

"Hello?" he called out. The door slammed shut, and he jumped, flipping around. "Who's there?"

"I've never had Underworld spawn before," Professor Riley's voice snarled out. Sirius turned his head again and nearly jumped out of his skin. Instead of his Defense teacher, there was a monster with her face. The creature had the upper body of Professor Riley, but her legs were different. One was made of what appeared to be Celestial bronze and the other was a donkey's leg.

"You're an empousa," Sirius said stupidly. "How did I not realize that?"

"It's too late now," Riley sneered. She lunged at Sirius, who just managed to dodge out of the way.

"Skia!" he shouted. His stygian iron sword appeared in his hand. Riley lunged again, a Sirius swung the sword in a wide arc. He missed, and Riley landed behind him. Before he could turn around, Riley had raked her talons across his back, leaving four long gashes. Sirius groaned and collapsed to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Not so strong now, hm," Riley hummed as she walked slowly around her prey. She lifted Sirius' chin with a taloned finger. "Aw, is the poor baby crying?" Sirius growled at her and tried to stand back up. He stumbled, his knees weak from blood loss. Spots were starting to form in Sirius' vision. He managed to catch himself on a desk.

"I am not dying because of you," Sirius snarled. Adrenaline started pumping through his veins. He spun around, his sword in the air, and brought it down over Riley's head. The empousa exploded into dust, and Sirius fell back to the ground, all of his energy drained.

Whining at the pain in his back, he reached into his bag and pulled out a baggie of ambrosia. He popped a piece into his mouth and sighed as the healing began, his back stitching itself back together.

"Shit," Sirius groaned, pulling off his robes and shirt. The backs were shredded and soaked with his own blood. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at first his shirt, then his robes. "Reparo! Scourgify!" The articles mended and cleaned themselves. Sirius pulled them back on. How was he going to explain what happened to Professor Riley?

* * *

It turned out Sirius didn't need to explain what happened to anyone. The Mist took care of that for him.

"What did Professor Allaway want?" James asked as Sirius entered the dorm room.

"Huh?" Sirius asked, confused. Who was Professor Allaway? Oh... "Just talking about something I asked about last week." Sirius was careful not to use a gender specific term.

"Oh," James replied. He smirked up at Sirius. "You want to help me plan a prank against Snivellus?"

"Hell yes," Sirius grinned, jumping onto the couch next to James, only wincing slightly at the pain in his back.

* * *

**I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, but, in the mean time, please review to tell me how you feel about the chapter.**


	7. A Theft on Olympus

**Hey, so sorry it took so long, I would've had this up yesterday, but my dad thought it would be a great idea to invite a bunch of our neighbors over.**

**Thank you all so much for your amazing reviews. They always make my day.**

**DarkKitsuneFluffy: Thank you!**

**SassyDoe: Thanks!**

Argus was already waiting for Sirius outside JFK airport when he arrived from England. He grabbed Sirius' bags for him and threw them in the back of the van before climbing into the driver's seat. Sirius climbed into the passenger's seat.

"I'm to take you to Olympus," Argus said softly, his voice deep and gravelly from years of no use.

"Olympus?" Sirius asked. "Why?"

Argus just shrugged his shoulders and started driving. Sighing, Sirius looked out the window. He should have known he wouldn't get anything else out of Argus. That was actually the first time he had ever heard him speak.

The ride was short. Or, at least, Sirius assumed it was short. Back in England it was already nearing 12:00, and Sirius was dead tired, having been unable to sleep during his flight. He fell asleep about five minutes into the ride and didn't wake up again until they had stopped in front of the Empire State Building.

Argus stepped out of the van and grabbed Sirius' bag from the back. Sirius followed him into the Empire State Building. Argus stepped up to the front desk and made a few wild gestures with his hands. The man behind the desk nodded and handed Argus a golden key card. Argus, then, handed the key card over to Sirius and gestured to the elevator.

Grabbing the card, Sirius entered the elevator and looked for a spot to insert the key card. His eyes quickly found a small slot underneath all the buttons to put it in, and he slid the card in. At the top of the panel, a button for floor 600 appeared. Looking at Argus' encouraging nod, Sirius pressed the button. The doors to the elevator slammed shut, and it started rushing upwards.

The breath was forced from Sirius' lungs as he clung to the wall. The elevator had to be faster than the carts at Gringotts. It only took a minute to reach floor 600. The doors swung open, and a bunch of grinning faces met Sirius.

"Long time no see," Luke grinned, pulling Sirius into a tight hug.

Sirius laughed and hugged his friend back.

"No kidding," he said, pulling away. "It's been forever. Hey, Travis, Connor, Chris." Sirius pulled each one into a hug as he said their name.

"Hello again, Sirius," Chiron said, walking up behind Sirius. "I'm glad to see you made it in time to join us."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "What exactly am I joining you lot for?"

"We're sitting in on the winter council, Death Boy," Clarisse said in her gruff voice. Sirius turned around to look at her frowning face. A hint of a smile sparkled in her chocolate eyes.

"Shall we?" Chiron asked.

The group of around fifteen demigods moved down the long street.

Sirius tried to hide the fact that he was staring, but he couldn't help himself. There were palaces on either side of the street, some more extravagant than others. Minor gods and goddesses strolled along the street, stopping here and there to buy different trinkets from vendors that were littered around the area. A little ways off, in a park, nine beautiful women were giving a concert.

_Those must be the Muses_, Sirius thought to himself.

Soon enough, the group was standing in front of golden double doors. And sitting next to those golden double doors?

"Father?" Sirius asked, confused.

"Hello again, Sirius," Thanatos replied light in his rich tenor. As he was speaking, he stood up. "Chiron, I must speak with my son."

"Of course, my lord," Chiron bowed. "Would you like us to leave you alone?"

Thanatos gave a small nod of his head.

"Very much so, Chiron," he answered. "Do continue into the throne room. Lord Zeus awaits your arrival, and he is a very impatient man. We will meet you by the elevator after the meeting. Come, Sirius."

Thanatos turned and started to walk off. Sirius waved awkwardly to his friends and followed after his father.

Thanatos led Sirius down a side street and off to a dark corner of Olympus.

"Where are we, Father?" Sirius asked, following Thanatos up a crumbling flight of stairs and to the front gates a dark palace made of what appeared to be obsydian.

"Welcome to my palace on Olympus, my son," Thanatos said tiredly, flicking his hand and caused the front doors to swing open. Father and son stepped in simultaneously. "I am afraid it is not quite as opulent as my palace down in the Underworld, but it is suitable for the rare occasion I use it once every other century, or so."

The doors swung closed behind them, and green fire lit up the torches bracketed along the walls, illuminating the hallway. Thanatos led Sirius down the hall and into a sitting room sparsely furnished with just a black leather sofa and a mahogany coffee table. Thanatos sat down, gesturing for Sirius to do the same.

"Is something the matter, Father?" Sirius asked, sitting down on the sofa.

"I am not yet sure," Thanatos frowned, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands in front of him. "A war is brewing, Sirius. I can sense much death coming in the near future."

"A mortal war?" Sirius asked, daring to hope.

Thanatos looked at him with clouded silver eyes. "There is always a mortal war going on, my son. No, I am speaking of the worlds you were born into. The titan Kronos will rise again, sooner rather than later. There will be much death and destruction before he can be stopped."

"What about the Blood Wars going on in England?" Sirius wondered aloud. His father gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I cannot say," he responded. "That is Hecate's domain, not my own. There will be much more bloodshed before it is done, though."

"That's what I was afraid of," Sirius grumbled, rubbing his face with his hands. "Why is it that whenever there is conflict, the first thing people do is jump into fights? It causes so much unnecessary death."

"Mortals and gods are alike in that way," Thanatos sighed, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth. "They do not understand death. Not the way we do. They do not see that it should be avoided at all costs."

"So what do we do?" Sirius asked, eyes following his father as the god paced back and forth.

"Our job, Sirius." Thanatos looked at Sirius with his deep, soulful eyes. "We help people pass on. We end their pain and their suffering." Thanatos held a hand out to his son. "Come. I will show you."

Sirius grabbed his father's hand and the shadows swarmed around them. For a moment, all Sirius could see was blackness, but it was over as quick as it came. In it's place was a kitchen, painted light green.

A young woman with blond hair, streaked with light pink highlights, was busy around the stove making what smelled to Sirius like grilled cheese. A young boy of no more than eleven years was sitting at the table with a small book open. The woman turned around, and Sirius was dazzled by her bright blue eyes. Those eyes skipped over Sirius and his father and went straight to the little boy's side, laying down a plate with the sandwich on it.

"They cannot see us," Thanatos answered his son's questioning look.

"How do you like _The Hobbit_, Jay?" the woman asked, ruffling the boys blond hair, the same color as the girls own.

_Mother and son_, Sirius mused, _or siblings?_

"It's great, Bea," the boy, Jay, grinned. It was just then Sirius noticed how ill looking the boy was. He was pale and shaking. The young woman, Bea, wrapped a large blanket around his shoulders, and kissed his forehead.

"It was my favorite when I was your age," Bea laughed lightly. "Whenever Dad came to visit he would read it to me."

_Siblings, then,_ Sirius realized.

"What's wrong with the boy," Sirius demanded of his father. "Please, tell me I won't have to see another child die." Fierce, silver eyes met the identical, sorrow-filled pair. "Is this some kind of sick amusement to you?"

"Just watch, Sirius," sighed Thanatos. "That boy, Jack Kasper, was born with a rare hereditary disease that affects his immune system. There is no cure. His mother was killed by the same disorder. Beatrice, his sister takes care of him."

Suddenly, there was a crash from somewhere in the hallway. A dark-skinned girl burst into the kitchen.

"You could've knocked," Beatrice joked casually, but Sirius noticed her hand twitch to her right hip. "What's up, Rachel?"

"What's up?" the dark-skinned girl, Rachel, snarled. "Izzy told me everything. I can't believe you would screw my boyfriend behind my back!" Rachel had pulled out a gun.

"Rachel, I have no idea what you're talking about," Beatrice said calmly, eyes trained on the gun. Michael and I are just friends." Her hand was resting on her hip now.

"Shut up, you ugly bitch!" Rachel screeched. She went for the trigger, but Beatrice was faster. She pulled a handgun from the waistband of her jeans and shot Rachel in the chest.

Even as Rachel was falling, Thanatos was moving. As she hit the floor, he pressed his hand to her chest and pulled it back. He was holding a small, white ball of energy in his hand. Sirius watched as his father released the energy and moved back.

"It is time to go, Sirius," he said, stretching his arm out.

Sirius reached out for his father's hand, hardly noticing the shadows compressing around them. They reappeared on the couch.

"Are they going to be okay?" Sirius asked his father, his voice hardly a whisper.

"The Kasper's will be fine," Thanatos reassured his son, wrapping his arms around him. "In a few years, a cure will be developed for Jack's disease, and both he and his sister will live long happy lives."

Sirius nodded his head, leaning into his father's embrace.

* * *

"It's time I brought you back to Chiron and the others," Thanatos said softly, a while later, waking Sirius from his nap.

Sirius looked groggily at his father. He nodded his head and let the shadows consume him. They appeared in front of Chiron and the other demigods in a matter of moments. Sirius stumbled slightly as they landed, and Luke quickly reached out a hand to catch him.

"I shall see you soon, Sirius," Thanatos said. Sirius looked back at his father as he disappeared back into the shadow, going to the Underworld, Sirius presumed.

"I think it's about time we all get back home," Chiron said, looking at how tired Sirius seemed.

* * *

_For the third time since discovering he was a demigod, Sirius found himself in a dream with his father. Sirius assumed they were in Thanatos' palace in the Underworld as it was similar, yet more elegant and better-maintained._

_"__Hello again, Father," Sirius said, not even having to turn around to know the god was standing there._

_"__Hello, Sirius," _

_Sirius turned to his father, frowning at the exhausted tone to his father's voice. The god's shoulders were sagging, and he looked older than he had appeared earlier in the day._

_"__Is something the matter, Father?" Sirius asked, stepping forward into Thanatos' embrace._

_"__It seems the world is going to Tartarus earlier than I assumed," Thanatos sighed, running a tired hand down his face. "Zeus' Master Bolt has been stolen from the Throne Room itself." Sirius' eyes widened in shock. "As has my Lord Hades Helm of Darkness."_

_"__How do two gods get their symbols of power stolen on the same day?" Sirius asked._

_"__Kronos," Thanatos answered. "He had a spy on Olympus today. I do not yet know who, but I intend to find out. Watch after yourself, Sirius. The worst has yet to come. We will begin your training this summer, I believe. Yes, it is time."_

_"__Father," Sirius started to say, but the man had already vanished into shadow._


	8. A Confession Between Friends

**Okay, so sorry for the delay, but I didn't really know how I wanted to write this chapter. It took me awhile to figure it out. About half of this is just filler for rest of Sirius' third year at Hogwarts, but the last part is pretty important to the plot. A reviewer gave me the idea for the bit, and I fell in love with it. This chapter is dedicated to you, Sassydoe.**

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**DarkKitsuneFluffy: Of course, he's Death. Death knows all ;)**

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**PercyTheBest: I will start by saying, I have planned this entire story out. Percy has not yet been in the story because this is about Sirius, not Percy. Percy _will_; however, make an appearance next chapter and be in many chapters afterwards. For your other questions, Sirius has not yet met Hades because he hasn't exactly been to the Underworld, now has he? He won't meet Hades until he goes down there. Thanatos getting involved with Walburga is something that won't be revealed until much later. Like I said before, I have this entire story planned out.**

**Sassydoe: Thanks a lot! (Hope you like the last part of the chapter;))**

**Ghostunderasheet: I'm really sorry that I will have to make you cry. If it makes you feel any better, he won't stay evil, and he will try to get out of being evil and help Sirius. He will die, but don't worry because I have plans for this story.**

**Thank you all so much, and please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Sirius goes back to Hogwarts. He is constantly distracted by thoughts of his father's warning. His friend's assume he is worried by Voldemort's rising power. They pull lots of pranks in an attempt to cheer Sirius up. (Chapter 8)

"Are you feeling alright, Sirius?" Marlene asked, sitting next to the despondent boy.

"Huh," Sirius mumbled, jumping slightly and dropping the quill he had been twirling in his hands. "Oh, hey, Marlene. Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess."

"For an entire month?" Marlene asked with a snort before turning serious. "Honestly, Sirius. We're all worried about you. James is going out of his mind. Even Lily is curious as to what's wrong."

"It's nothing," Sirius sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Just worried about the war, is all."

"Yeah," Marlene said. "I guess I understand. You're probably all up in the middle of that with parents like yours, right?"

Sirius frowned, but nodded his head anyway. His parents had never announced to the wizarding public that he had been kicked out. Sirius supposed it was for appearances, and he wasn't about to go out of his way to tell anyone.

"They are really into blood purity," he agreed instead, turning back to the essay he was supposed to be writing. It was due in a week, but Sirius just wanted to get it over with. "I'll see you around, Marlene. I really want to get this Charms essay out of the way."

"No problem, Sirius," Marlene said, clapping him on the back and leaving him alone.

* * *

"So what do we do?" James asked Sirius curiously, handing over the box of soap he asked the house elves to get him.

"Soap, when heated up, looks an awful lot like bread, James," Sirius said with a grin, pulling out a bar of soap and waving his wand.

He broke off a piece and showed it to James.

"Wicked," James grinned. "Now we just heat all of these up and ask the house elves to replace the Slytherins' bread at dinner with the soap."

"Exactly," Sirius grinned, pulling out more bars of soap to begin heating them up.

It only took a few minutes for the two boys to finish preparing their prank. As soon as they were both done, they called in a house elf to plant the soap in place of the Slytherins' bread. This had been too easy for the two fourteen year olds.

* * *

"Really?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking at the two boys with raised eyebrows from across her desk. "You fed the Slytherins soap?"

"Oh come on, Professor," James grinned. "Even you have to admit their expressions were priceless. The look on Lucius Malfoy's face."

No matter how hard she tried to hold it back, a small smile curved the Transfiguration professor's lips.

"Well," she said slowly, as if testing the words out. "As there was no one injured during this little prank of yours, I see no reason to take off any house points, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black." Here Sirius and James shot each other grins. "However, I will be forced to give you both a detention with me this Friday at seven o'clock precisely."

"That's all, Professor?" Sirius asked dubiously, staring at Minerva like she had a second head. "Normally you'd give us like a week."

"Don't push your luck, Sirius," Minerva said sternly, though her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Now, get out of my office. And remember, seven o'clock."

"Yes, Professor!" both boys shouted as they jumped from their seats and ran from the room together.

* * *

"I can't believe she only gave us one detention," James grinned as he and Sirius stopped outside the Room of Requirement. They had discovered it last year while trying to escape from Filch.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, stepping inside the room. During the run to the seventh floor, he had lost his grin and was back to the blank expression he'd been wearing since the start of the new term.

James followed Sirius into the room. Their were two arm chairs set up in front of a fireplace, just the way the two boys liked it when they were alone together.

"Are you feeling okay, Siri?" James asked, sitting in one of the armchairs. "You've been down ever since term started up again. Don't you dare say it's because of You-Know-Who, either. You and I both know that's a huge lie."

Sirius frowned. James was his best friend. He would understand, right? Besides, if he kept all of this bottled up inside of himself he would explode. He needed to talk to someone. Why not James?

"Will you promise not to tell anyone, Jem?" Sirius asked, looking at James with worried eyes.

James frowned. Sirius only called him Jem when he was really upset.

"Anything, Siri," James promised, leaning forwards to look intently at his best friend, no, his brother. "I swear I won't tell a soul unless you tell me it's okay."

Sirius nearly smiled at the accidental pun James had just made.

"It's a little out there, Jem," Sirius started, "but I swear I'm telling the truth. Yeah, well, it all started when my parents kicked me out. Apparently, Orion Black isn't actually my dad." Sirius paused for an interruption from James, but, when there was none, he continued on. "My real dad's name is Thanatos. You know all those Hellenistic myths?" James nodded his head. "Well, apparently they're real, and my dad is the Ancient Greek god of death."

"You've got to be kidding," James said, staring at Sirius with wide eyes.

Sirius couldn't hold back his groan. He should've known James wouldn't believe him.

"You mean to tell me," James continued before Sirius could say anything else, "that your dad is the god of death and not the god of pranks?"

Sirius stared at his friend for a good minute before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

"You'd be surprised," Sirius finally managed to say. "Death actually has quite the sense of humor." James and Sirius both broke into another fit of laughter. "But yeah, my dad is definitely the god of death. I've met him a few times and everything."

"That's wicked," James grinned. "At least now you know why you don't fit in with the Blacks."

"True," Sirius agreed with a wry grin. "Very true. Anyways, I went back to America over the winter break because that's where this camp is for demigods, or the half-blood children of the gods. Which ever you prefer."

"I think demigod would be less confusing," James mused, lost in thought for a second before jumping back to attention.

"That's the one I like best too," Sirius said with a smile. He wished he had thought to talk to James sooner. His best friend always made him smile. "Anyway, so I was back in America and two pretty big things happened."

"Your dad is a god, and that's not the biggest news you've heard?" James asked, completely baffled by Sirius, who just grinned and shrugged.

"Yeah, well, Zeus, the king of Olympus, his weapon was stolen along with Lord Hades' Helm."

"You call Hades lord, but the king just gets Zeus?"

"My father's domain is the Underworld, therefore Hades is my king, not Zeus." Sirius most definitely did not jump at the distant thunder that rumbled through the cloudy skies. "Anyways, it's really bad that both of their symbols of power are missing, and to top it all off, my dad goes and drops this huge bombshell on me about what being his son entails."

"Why do I have a feeling it's something to do with dead people?" James asked sarcastically. Sirius glared at him.

"I'm supposed to be some angel of death/grim reaper type thing," Sirius explained solemnly, looking down, not wanting to look James in the eyes as he said the next sentence. "I'm supposed to kill people."

Sirius nearly jumped when he felt James' hand on his arm.

"It's not killing people, Sirius," James said softly, looking deep into his friend's pain-filled eyes. "It's just helping them pass on to end their pain."

Sirius looked at his best friend for a pregnant pause before launching himself at the slightly younger boy.

"Thank you," he mumbled into James' shirt.


	9. Meeting Percy Jackson

**A slightly shorter chapter that will probably be important later on in the story. *Hint Hint***

**Reviews:**

**DaughteroftheHuntress: Thank you!**

**GhostUnderaSheet: Yeah, I know. Originally, I didn't have it planned out that way, but I wrote it in. James will not be a demigod, sorry. **

**SassyDoe: Thanks, that means a lot.**

**Hello to my friend when she starts reading this. You know who you are.**

* * *

The plane ride to JFK airport was mostly normal for Sirius, at least until he fell asleep.

"Hello, Sirius," his father said, smiling down at his son.

"Dad?" Sirius groaned. He was tired. Couldn't he get a normal night of sleep for once? "What's up?"

"I need you to go into Manhattan, Sirius," Thanatos said. He stared at his son expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Okay..." Sirius trailed off, not sure what to say. His father had come in a dream to tell him this?

"The Metropolitan Museum of Art," to be specific," Thanatos expanded on his earlier statement. "Chiron is there. I need you to give him a note."

"No problem," Sirius said. He grinned up at his father. "Did you really have to interrupt my sleep for this?"

Thanatos smiled at his son and waved his hand. The dream disappeared into black shadow.

* * *

Sirius woke up to a flight attendant shaking his shoulder.

"We're here, kid," she said, her voice thick with a New York accent.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course," Sirius grumbled sleepily.

He stretched carefully as he stood, not wanting to bang his head on the compartments above. Sirius stepped out of the row and grabbed his luggage from the overhead compartment. It was just a small knapsack - a gym bag, Luke had called it - with his trunk shrunken inside. He had plenty of clothes back at Camp.

Stepping out of the airport and into the streets, Sirius was quick to hail a cab. He climbed into the back and threw his knapsack on the seat next to him.

"Manhattan, please," he told the taxi driver. "The Metropolitan Museum of Art."

"You an exchange student from England?" the cabbie asked Sirius as he pulled onto the street. Sirius couldn't help the smile. Why were people always so curious?

"No," he replied honestly. "I have family here. I'm meeting a family friend."

"Ah," the cabbie said, and said no more, until he was asking for his pay, that is.

On the streets of Manhattan, looking up at the museum of art, Sirius found he wasn't impressed. After Hogwarts, after Olympus, not much actually _did_ impress him architecture-wise. _If Annabeth Chase could hear me now_, he thought, _she would kill me._

Sirius started to check all his pockets. His father had said there was a note he needed to deliver to Chiron, but he had never been given any note. In the back pocket of Sirius' jeans, he finally found the note. With a small smile, Sirius entered the museum.

It took Sirius five minutes to get to the back of the museum where the Greek and Latin statues were. He figured it would be the most likely spot to find Chiron. At first, all he saw was a group of kids, about twelve years old. At the very back, he saw someone he recognized. Grover Underwood.

"Grover," he hissed, walking up behind the satyr, in the guise of a boy. "It's Sirius."

The satyr jumped and turned around. "Sirius?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

A few other kids had turned around. A freckled red-headed girl had spotted Sirius and was fluttering her eyelashes at him, trying to look pretty. Her friends had turned around and were mimicking her, trying to gain Sirius' attention. Sirius didn't even look at them.

"I'm looking for Chiron," he told Grover. "I have something for him from my dad."

"Grover?" a black-haired boy with sea green eyes next to Grover asked. "Who is this?"

"Percy," Grover said, "this is Sirius Black. We go to, uh, summer camp together. Sirius, this is Percy Jackson." Grover shot Sirius a meaningful look, and Sirius' eyes widened. This boy was a demigod. "Chiron's up in the front of the group."

"Thanks, Grover," Sirius said. He waved to Percy and weaved his way through the group of students to the front of the group where Chiron was sitting in his magic wheelchair.

Chiron broke off from whatever he was saying when he saw Sirius walking towards him.

"Hey, Chiron," Sirius grinned, walking over to stand up next to him.

"Shouldn't you be in Long Island?" Chiron asked surreptitiously with a raised eyebrow.

"My dad wanted me to give you this," Sirius said with a shrug of his shoulders. He handed Chiron the note, and the teacher quickly scanned his eyes down the note.

"Thank you, Sirius," Chiron said, his voice laced with underlying worry. "Tell your father not to worry."

"Mr. Brunner?" a girl asked. Sirius vaguely recognized the redhead from the group of girls who were standing by Grover and his friend. "Who is this?"

"Well, that's rude," Sirius snorted, flipping his long hair dramatically back from his face. "I suppose you're going to ask me why I'm white now, huh?"

"When exactly did you find the time to watch _Mean Girls_, Sirius?" Grover asked, dragging a reluctant Percy to the front of the group.

"Movie nights in cabin 11 every Friday, dude," Sirius grinned. "You gotta come. We're watching _The Heat_ this Friday."

"You're all going to kill me one of these days," Chiron groaned under his breath, and Sirius and Grover burst out in laughter.


	10. Another Demigod

**Hey guys! Sorry about the delay. I'm really busy all of a sudden. Anyways, here's a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it.**

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* * *

Sirius was just lounging around the Hermes cabin with Chris, Travis, Connor, and Luke when Annabeth came in. She looked pissed.

"What's up, Annabeth?" Luke asked, looking slightly worried. Sirius knew the two had come to the camp together along with another demigod, Thalia daughter of Zeus. Thalia had sacrificed herself to give Luke time to bring Annabeth to safety. Ever since, the two had been extremely close.

"New camper," Annabeth grumbled, glaring at the floor. "Percy Jackson. Complete idiot, that one."

"Percy Jackson?" Sirius asked, sitting up straight from his spot on his sleeping bag. Annabeth nodded, still glaring at nothing. "Wouldn't have guessed it from the way he acted."

"You've met?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, when I dropped off that letter from my dad to Chiron," Sirius exclaimed, a crazy grin stretching across his face. "Jackson was standing in the back with Grover."

"Wonderful," Annabeth said through gritted teeth. Sirius wondered if it was his personality that turned off smart women like Annabeth Chase and Lily Evans. "_You _can show him around camp, then." Without another word, Annabeth turned on her heel and exited the cabin.

"Wasn't she in a peachy mood," Travis joked. Luke threw a pillow at his younger half brother. Sirius, Chris, and Connor all burst into laughter.

After the three boys had calmed down, they began to set up a space for Percy. Sirius shoved his trunk, pillow, and sleeping bag all the way into the corner so Percy could have the spot next to his. Chris had suggested it, thinking Percy would be more comfortable next to someone he knew. Connor, being the youngest, had been sent out to go steal some toiletries from the camp store for Percy. Chris went to go find a spare pillow and sleeping bag from the back closet, leaving Sirius, Travis, and Luke to answer the door when it swung open.

All three of the boys bowed to Chiron when they saw him, but he just smiled and waved them off.

"I'll leave you to it, then," the centaur said before cantering off.

"I know you," Percy said, pointing at Sirius as soon as Chiron was gone. "You were at the museum. Sirius, right?"

"That's me," Sirius grinned. "Sirius Black son of Thanatos, at your service."

"The death god?" Percy asked, taking a small step back, and Sirius felt himself almost flinch, almost. It always hurt when someone was scared of him because of something he couldn't control, even if he didn't really know the person.

"I'm not going to kill you or anything," Sirius grumbled sadly, stepping back into the cabin. Chris had just finished setting up Percy's sleeping bag.

"You okay?" Chris asked when he looked up to see Sirius frowned. Sirius just shrugged his shoulders.

"Just thought I'd be used to the fear by now," he said sadly. "Move Jackson's sleeping bag. I don't think he wants to sleep next to the death god's son."

Chris sighed and stood up. He pulled Sirius into a hug, which the wizard did not return. Chris pulled back, but kept his hands on Sirius' shoulders.

"People are idiots," Chris said. "They judge you for something you can't control, and believe you are something you are not. You just need to work a little harder to prove who you are. One day, you will prove to them all how amazing you truly are."

"Thanks Chris," Sirius smiled. At first, he had been a little skeptical about Chris' miniature rant, but it had actually made him feel better. "That means a lot."

"No problemo, kid," Chris grinned. "Now come on, let's move Jackson's stuff out of the way.

* * *

Sirius was just sitting down with his meal after giving burnt offerings, some for his father, Hermes for housing him, and Hecate for his magic, when he next saw Percy. The younger demigod was sandwiched between Luke and Sirius. Upon seeing Sirius sit down, Luke nudged Percy with his shoulder and nodded his head in Sirius' direction. Percy quickly turned to look at Sirius.

"I can leave, if I'm making you uncomfortable," Sirius said, trying very hard to refrain from gritting his teeth.

"No, you're fine," Percy sighed. He looked Sirius in the eye, green eyes against grey. "I actually wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm still trying to get used to all this god stuff."

Sirius' shoulders slumped slightly as he felt himself relax. "No problem," he said, a small smile twitching at the corners of his lips. "Most people have the same reaction."

"That doesn't make it right," Percy mumbled, turning back to his food. "I kind of know the feeling. I'm never welcomed at any of my schools."

"Really?" Sirius asked, and the two fell into an easy conversation with Luke adding in every now and then.


	11. Mummy in the Attic

**Hey everyone! I got a new chapter for you all! I hope you all enjoy it.**

* * *

"Leaving already?" Sirius asked Percy, coming up behind him on the hill.

"What?" Percy asked, jumping slightly. He turned around. "Oh, Sirius." Percy immediately relaxed. "I guess I am."

Since Percy had arrived at Camp Half-Blood, he and Sirius had been spending a lot of time together. Most of the campers avoided Sirius for being a son of Thanatos, and since Percy had been claimed by Poseidon, people had been treating the younger demigod like a pariah as well.

"Have you been on a quest before?" Percy asked. His voice had a slight nervous waver to it.

Sirius looked over his shoulder at Annabeth and Grover before turning back to Percy.

"Does going into Manhattan to give Chiron a letter from my dad count?" he asked, grinning slightly. Percy almost laughed. "No," Sirius sighed. "I haven't. And, I must admit, I don't envy you in the slightest."

"Thanks," Percy grumbled, nudging Sirius' side with his shoulder. "Big help you are."

"I do try," Sirius said, biting his lip to keep from laughing. "Anyway, you have a weapon or do you need one?"

"Chiron gave me a sword," Percy said. He pulled a bronze pen from his pocket and uncapped it. Sirius' eyes widened as the pen elongated into a three-foot long celestial bronze sword.

"Nice," Sirius grinned. His hand went to the sword the hung from his belt, a stygian iron beauty his father had gifted him. "You like it?"

"It's great," Percy agreed. He capped the pen. "I'm scared, Sirius," he said, speaking in a more hushed tone. "What if we fail."

"First of all," Sirius said, throwing in arm around Percy's shoulders, "it's bad luck to talk like that." Sirius squeezed Percy's shoulder and dropped his arm. He shoved his fists into his pockets awkwardly. "And if you need anything," he said, shuffling his feet, "you can always IM me. I'll do my best to get you some help."

"Thanks a lot, Sirius," Percy said, a huge smile lighting up his face. "That means a lot to me."

"Yeah," Sirius grinned. He clapped Percy on the back. "Now go get 'em kid," he said. Percy ran off.

* * *

Day one without Percy was pretty bad as far as Sirius was concerned. The day went normally, but it was like something was missing. It was kind of like at Hogwarts on the days after the full moon when Remus wasn't there. Everything was the same, but something was missing.

"You alright, Sirius," Silena asked, sitting next to Sirius on the beach. Beckendorf sat down on the other side of her.

"Fine," Sirius said. "Just kind of bored, you know."

"No," Beckendorf said, looking at Sirius curiously. "I don't."

"Well, you're you," Sirius grumbled. He leaned back on the sand and put his hands under his head, closing his eyes against the bright sun. "You both are cool and have tons of friends. People don't stare at you like you're a freak. I'm just the creepy son of Thanatos."

"Screw them," Silena grumbled, tossing her long hair irritatedly over her shoulder. "You've got me, Charlie, Clarisse, Luke, Chris, Travis, and Connor. So what if the rest of Camp doesn't talk to you. They're shallow dirt bags."

"Dirt bags?" Sirius asked, cracking a bit of a smile.

"Shut up," Silena grumbled, smacking her hand lightly against Sirius' chest. Sirius and Beckendorf both broke out in laughter.

* * *

Sirius sighed as he looked around the dusty room. As the days went on he was becoming even more bored. It had gotten so bad Chiron had sent him up to the attic to clean. All the walls of the room was a bunch of old trophies from quests long passed. The other wall was blank except for a stool. A dried up old mummy sat atop it.

The Oracle, Luke had warned Sirius. Aside from Percy, he was the only other demigod who still went to Camp Half-Blood that had seen the mummified woman. Sirius was almost shocked by the mummy's looks. When Luke had told him about her, Sirius had pictured a humanoid figure wrapped in bandages like in the old movie _The Mummy_. Instead, the Oracle looked like an old hippy woman who had been freeze-dried for a few years now. Dust had collected on her body. Sirius shuddered as he turned away from there. Being the son of the god of death did not make the mummy any less horrifying to look at.

Sirius tried to focus on the task at hand. He had dusted an entire shelf before he gave in and turned back to face the mummy. He could almost feel her watching him. Even with the feel of eyes of his back, though, Sirius was not prepared for the glowing green eyes that were staring directly at him when he turned; nor, was he prepared for the green smoke that spewed from the mummy's mouth or the raspy voice.

_Prince of Death_, the voice hissed, and the smoke twisted into a raven, flying to Sirius' shoulder. He shivered violently at the heat seeping through the thin cloth of his tee shirt. _Have you come to seek your destiny?_

"No," Sirius said vehemently, shaking his head, letting his curls fly. "No destiny, just cleaning. See." Sirius held up the rag he had been using to dust, and the voice let out a raspy laugh.

_Yes, _the voice said, _but I can feel you. Feel your curiosity and wonder. You wonder why the campers avoid you. Why is it they cower when you walk by? You even wonder why your father had you in the first place. He couldn't possibly have actually __**loved**_ _your mother, could he have?_

"How do you know all this?" Sirius demanded. He took a step back from the mummy, and the smoke raven flew from his shoulder.

The raven grew, changing from a bird to a beautiful woman in a Greek chiton.

_Prince of Death, you have come to the Oracle's domain. Approach seeker, and ask._

Sirius' feet took on a mind of their own and they approached the woman made of smoke. Sirius found himself kneeling at her feet, head bowed.

"What is my purpose in this world?" Sirius asked, not even bothering to wonder how he knew the words to say.

_To end the pain of those who suffer, child,_ the voice said, the raspiness clearing into something more soothing. _You have been brought to this world to help your father send on those in pain to the Underworld._

"Why me?" Sirius found himself asking, gazing up intently at the smoke woman's face. "Why not another sibling of mine? My father has had to have children before me!"

_You are the Prince of Death._

"You keep calling me that," Sirius grumbled, "but I don't even know what that means!"

_Sirius Black, your fate was carved out many years ago. Few know the prophecy of the Prince of Death, child. You will be strong. The strongest one of all the the children of Death. You will do well._

The mist dissipated, and the glowing eyes of the mummy went out. Sirius jumped to his feet instantly. He didn't hesitate more than a second before running from the room.

* * *

Sirius didn't stop running until he reached the edge of the forest. He didn't notice his father standing behind him until the god spoke.

"You have spoken with the Oracle, Sirius," the god said. Sirius jumped and turned around.

"Can you not do that?!" Sirius whisper yelled. "It's bad enough the creepy mummy lady already freaked me out! Do you have to do it too?"

"I apologize, my son," Thanatos said in that deep voice of his. "I did not mean to frighten you."

"Whatever," Sirius grumbled, crossing his arms in front of him. "It doesn't matter. I have questions."

"Do you?" Thanatos asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah," Sirius said, glaring at his father. He could practically feel the man's silent laughter. "What did she mean when she said I was the strongest out of all your kids?"

"That's quite simple, my boy," Thanatos said, smiling almost smugly. "You are the most powerful demigod I have ever sired. You control all aspects of my domain, death and the darkness that surrounds it."

"You've got to be kidding me," Sirius groaned. "Can't I just have a normal freaking life!"

"That's not a part of the deal with being a demigod."

"I never signed up to be one," Sirius scowled, glaring at his father. "I was perfectly content with being a wizard."

"Sometimes we cannot choose our destinies, Sirius," Thanatos sighed. "I suppose it is time to start your training."

* * *

**Reviews:**

**DarkKitsuneFluffy: I hoped you liked the fluff in this chapter too! Next chapter, there will be a little darkness.**

**DaughteroftheHuntress: Thanks! There will be Percabeth. Sirius and Annabeth will just be friends. At first, Sirius will be paired with Marlene McKinnon, but in the sequel, things will be...well, you'll just have to keep reading. ;)**


	12. Not Who They Thought

**Hey guys, another new chapter. I'm on a roll since my English teacher has let me type in class these passed few days. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm starting to wrap up _the Lightning Thief _section.**

**Reviews:**

**DarkKitsuneFluffy: Thanks a bunch!**

**ghostmistwho: Hope it's to you satisfaction.**

**poemado: Don't you worry.**

**SassyDoe: Thanks. Hope you enjoy.**

**Ghostunderasheet: Yes, yes he was. Screw you very much Kronos. That is exactly how I feel.**

**IMPORTANT:**

**If you guys don't mind, I would be forever grateful if you looked over my _Twelve Angry Men_ story titled _Murder in the Jury__ Room_. It would be a bug help since I turned it in for a grade, and I'd love to see what you all think. Thanks a bunch.**

* * *

"Where are you going?" Connor whined.

Sirius jumped and turned around to face the younger boy, leaving the door hanging open. Connor was sitting up in his bed, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry," Sirius mumbled. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'm just going out for a walk. I'll be back in time for breakfast."

"Whatever," Connor groaned. He rolled over and fell back asleep.

Sirius sighed and walked outside onto the front porch, closing the door behind him. The sun was just starting to rise in the sky, and the air was brisk. He shivered slightly as he started towards the forest. Dawn and dusk were some of the best times to practice with the shadows. The sun was low in the sky, creating long shadows, especially in the middle of the forest.

The farther Sirius got into the forest, the darker it became, and the more at home Sirius began to feel. As a child, Sirius had always affiliated his love for darkness with the Black family, but now he knew it had to do with his father. Sirius smiled as he saw his father leaning against a tree in the clearing they used for training.

"You are late," Thanatos said. He smirked at Sirius as he pushed himself off the tree and moved to stand in front of his son. "The sun rose over the horizon fifteen minutes ago."

"Sorry," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at his father. "I woke up a few minutes late, and then Connor saw me leaving."

"I was teasing," Thanatos said, his lips stretching into a smile. "We still have plenty time for what I want you to do. I want you to try and take us to Manhattan."

"Why Manhattan?" Sirius asked, confused.

"I can't spend some time with my favorite son?" Thanatos retorted.

"I'm your only son," Sirius answered. He just reached out and took his father hand. He concentrated on the darkness around him, and felt the shadows swarm around his father and him. Sirius groaned as he felt the rush of travelling through the shadows. The father and son reappeared in an alley outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

"A church?" Thanatos grumbled, glaring at the building next to them.

"Shut up," Sirius said, rubbing his forehead. "I'm sleepy." Sirius stumbled slightly and leaned against his father. Thanatos sighed and wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders.

"Come on, Sirius," he groaned. "Let's walk around. You'll start to feel better once we get some food in you."

"M'kay," Sirius mumbled. He leaned against Thanatos as the god led them out of the alleyway and onto the busy morning streets of Manhattan. "Where we goin'?" The young boy's speech was slurred.

"I think just a diner for some pancakes."

"Yum," Sirius mumbled, burying his face in his father's shoulder. "I like pancakes."

"I'm sure," Thanatos sighed.

* * *

"Urgh," Sirius groaned, rubbing his temples. "My head hurts."

"I should have fed you before having you shadow travel," Thanatos agreed, holding the door of the diner open for his son. "Come, it has been many years since I have been able to explore Manhattan."

"I don't think I ever have," Sirius said, following his father down the sidewalk. "The only time I've ever been to Manhattan was when I was delivering that letter for you."

"And you didn't take the time to explore?" Thanatos asked, looking at Sirius from the corner of his eye. "That does not seem like you."

"Chiron wanted me to go right back to Camp," Sirius replied. His eyes widened as he looked at the building to their left. "Can we go to the M&amp;M store, Dad?"

Thanatos' smile widened.

* * *

"That was fun, Dad," Sirius grinned, standing in front of his dad with his hands in his pockets. "I've never had that much fun outside of Hogwarts."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Thanatos said, smiling softly. "It's been awhile since I've been able to take a break from work. I'm glad I was able to spend it with you."

"Sirius!" a voice called from farther back in the woods. "Sirius, where are you?!"

"Shite," Sirius groaned. "I told Connor I'd be back in time for breakfast. It's well past dinner by now. I should go."

"Yes, you should," Thanatos agreed. "Goodbye, my son." Sirius turned to leave, and Thanatos watched as he began to move forwards into the forest.

"Wait!" Sirius said, turning around. He ran into Thanatos' arms and pulled him into a tight hug. "I love you, Dad."

Thanatos slowly wrapped his own arms around his son, shocked. "I love you too, Sirius. I do believe your friends are worried about you, though."

"Right," Sirius said, blushing. "Bye, Dad." He grinned happily to himself as he ran off.

* * *

"Don't feed us the b.s. you told Chiron, Sirius," Travis snapped. "There's no way you just forgot to come back for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

Sirius just shrugged his shoulders. "It's nothing, Travis. I'm back in one piece, aren't I? I promise I was safe."

"That's not good enough," Luke said, sitting down on the floor across from Sirius. "Where did you go? We've been searching the woods for hours. You weren't there."

"I was with my dad, alright?" Sirius snapped, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "He took me into Manhattan, and we spent the day together."

"Seriously?" Connor asked. "Your dad?"

"Well, yeah," Sirius said. "How else could I get to Manhattan?"

"I wish our dad would take us places," Connor grumbled. "Or you know, visit us."

Travis sighed and wrapped an arm around his brother. Sirius looked down guiltily. He had been so happy about finally having a parent caring about him, that he completely forgot that the other gods besides Thanatos didn't really pay attention to their kids.

* * *

Sirius was sitting in the shadows of a tree when Luke approached him. Sirius smiled and waved him over. No matter the friends Sirius made at either Hogwarts or Camp Half-Blood, Luke would always be like an older brother to him.

"What's up?" Sirius asked as Luke sat down next to him.

"Just want to talk, is all," Luke said. He smiled softly at Sirius and ruffled his hair. The younger teen rolled his eyes as he straightened it out.

"Very funny, Luke," he grumbled. "What's on your mind."

"I've been thinking recently, Sirius," Luke admitted. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. "About the gods."

"What about them."

"They don't really care about us, you know," Luke sighed. "They might say they do, but they don't."

"What do you mean?" Sirius demanded, sitting up straight. "Luke, that's crazy."

Luke sighed as he opened his eyes, sitting up to face Sirius. "I've met my father once, Sirius," he said. "Only once. I'm nineteen. You'd think an all-powerful god would have at least a little time to talk to their kids."

"I guess," Sirius said, crossing his legs and leaning forwards on them. "I can see what you mean."

"And then there's the way the Olympians treat the minor gods," Luke continued ranting. "Gods like your father have impossibly hard jobs, yet do they get any credit for them? No! Who gets credit for Thanatos' work? Hades. Who gets credit for Asclepius' work? Apollo."

"Who's Asclepius?" Sirius interrupted guiltily. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on his hands that were folded nicely in his lap.

"Exactly!" Luke shouted. "He's the god of medicine, but does he get any credit for his work? No!"

"What are you getting at here, Luke?" Sirius asked, backing up slightly from the older boy. Luke was becoming volatile.

"I've been having dreams, Sirius," Luke said eagerly, leaning forwards. "Of a voice, promising me a way to destroy the Olympians. To get recognition for all the minor gods. All I need to do is build an army. An army of demigods to oppose Olympus. What do you say, Sirius?"

"No," Sirius said, jumping to his feet. "No, Luke! That's crazy. That's your family you're talking about. Your father!"

"Hermes is not my father," Luke snarled, jumping up. "He's dead to me."

"Who is offering you this?" Sirius asked, taking a few steps back from Luke as the older demigod got closer and closer. "This is madness, Luke."

"No," Luke said. "It's not. My lord Kronos will lead us to victory."

"Kronos?" Sirius gasped out, eyes widening in shock. "Luke, no." Shaking his head, Sirius turned and ran.


	13. A Traitor Among Friends

**Hey everybody. I just want to say thanks so much for reading and reviewing on this story. It means the world to me, and I'm so glad you all like it.**

**Reviews:**

**ghostmistwho: Thanks a lot. I feel so bad making Luke creepy, but I need to.**

**Ghostunderasheet: I can't make Luke not-bad, at least for awhile. The plot of this story, which I have entirely worked out, depends on Luke working for Kronos. Don't worry though, because Luke's end of the deal won't be so crappy if Sirius has something to say about it. *wink*wink***

**Timeywimeybadwolf: Here's more, I hope you like. Thanks so much. I have the entire story planned out, so not everything your suggesting will be there, but a few of those things are actually in my plan. Don't worry, Sirius is going to Hogwarts for the next two chapters, and it'll be quite the adventure for everyone.**

* * *

There was a feast when Percy, Annabeth, and Grover came back successful. It didn't matter that it was still lunch time. Chiron said a feast was a feast no matter the time. Sirius didn't care either way. He had grabbed some food and left to wander the woods. Crowds had never appeased to Sirius. He would much rather just sit by himself or with a few close friends. James understood that about him. They would normally grab some food from the feasts and then go plan pranks in a deserted classroom together. More often than not, Remus and Peter would join them.

"Luke, where are we going?"

Sirius lifted his head to see Percy and Luke walking together into the woods. Sirius stood up near silently. It was a trick he had learned from his father. Hiding in the shadows made him quiet and invisible. It was about as good as James' invisibility cloak. Sirius silently followed Percy and Luke into the woods. He didn't trust Luke. Not after what Luke had said to him. Sirius knew he should have told someone, but he couldn't do that to his brother. No. He cared for Luke too much.

The two sat in silence for a while, but then Luke spoke, crumpling the can of coke he had been drinking from. "You miss being on a quest?" he asked.

"With monsters attacking me every three feet?" Percy asked, looking up at Luke. "Are you kidding?" Luke looked at Percy, but he was turned away from Sirius. "Yeah," Percy admitted. "I miss it. You?"

Sirius didn't know what Luke's face was like, but whatever his expression was, it was enough to startle Percy.

"I've lived at Half-Blood Hill year-round since I was fourteen," Luke said sullenly. "Ever since Thalia ... well, you know. I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out there in the real world. Then they threw me one quest, and when I came back, it was like, 'Okay, ride's over. Have a nice life.'"

Sirius shivered at the malice in Luke's voice. Just a week ago, Luke had been a doting big brother to all of his siblings. Now? Sirius had seen Luke snapping at some of the younger Hermes' kids. Luke had even snapped at Sirius earlier today. He wondered if it had to do with their disagreement the other day.

Luke kept talking, and Percy's face kept getting darker and darker. Sirius couldn't tell what he was thinking, but from what he was arguing, he didn't agree with Luke, much in the way Sirius had.

Sirius frowned when Luke snapped his fingers. He couldn't see what was happening, and Percy's voice had gone deathly quiet. Sirius couldn't hear either him or Luke. Slowly, Sirius crept forward. He could only watch as Percy pulled out his sword and swung it wildly in the air. Whatever he was swinging at, Sirius couldn't see it.

Luke was already running by the time Sirius noticed Percy was falling. He lunged forward and caught the younger boy, whose skin had turned gray.

"Pit scorpion," Percy mumbled, his head resting against Sirius' chest where it had landed when Sirius caught him. "Poison. Help." Percy's eyes closed.

"No, no," Sirius muttered desperately. He rose to his feet, pulling Percy with him. "_Merde_," he cursed. "You are not dying on me now, Jackson. Not after you just completed that quest."

Struggling with the extra weight, Sirius dragged Percy into the shadow of a nearby tree. His only thought was getting the boy to a child of Apollo.

* * *

Percy groaned as he woke up. Sirius immediately jumped to attention. He, Annabeth, and Grover had all taken turns watching over Percy.

"How're you feeling?" Sirius asked. He waved to a Lee Fletcher, the healer stationed in the infirmary at the moment. "Can you get Annabeth?" Sirius asked softly. Lee nodded and left the infirmary to find the aforementioned girl.

"Like I died," Percy informed Sirius grimly. "My mom?"

"Chiron says she's safe at your home," Sirius said quickly.

"Thanks," Percy mumbled.

The door swung open, and Annabeth and Lee reentered the room. Sirius said goodbye to Percy and left the infirmary. Annabeth deserved some alone time with Percy, and the Apollo kids didn't really like the son of the god of death being in their infirmary. Thanatos wasn't exactly the symbol of healing.

* * *

"Luke got away," Sirius said to his father.

The father and son were sitting together with their backs against a cave wall. Thanatos had a comforting arm around his son's shoulders.

"That happens sometimes, Sirius," Thanatos said. "You can't win every battle."

Sirius looked down at his lap where his hands were twisting together.

"What happens now?" he asked as he lent his head on his father's shoulders. He relished the comfort he had been denied his entire life.

"A war is brewing, Sirius," Thanatos sighed. "History repeats itself, and Kronos will rise again. When that happens, we must be ready to fight. For now, though, we will train and hope for the best."


	14. Tears, Laughter, and Birthday Cake

**I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am that this has been so long. I was extremely busy with the end of school, and I meant to get a chapter up at least a week ago, but I went on vacation, and I just got back yesterday. I am so so so sorry everyone.**

**Reviews:**

**Ghostunderasheet: Luke will be evil, and he will die, but he won't really be dead, if you know what I mean. I can't explain it now, but you'll see. Nico will become a little brother to Sirius for all intents and purposes. And when Nico meets Regulus, the conversation will most likely be hilarious, I promise. Don't worry. I take absolutely no offense to your reviews. I really love them, actually.**

**Sianna Scale: Thanks.**

**Booklover5434: Thanks a bunch. Sorry about the wait.**

**DaughteroftheHuntress: I plan on making this a trilogy, so wizards won't find out about demigods until probably the last book, but James will definitely meet a bunch of demigods in this book, and Regulus most likely too.**

**AthenaDiamond: Thank.**

** You.**

** Very.**

** Much.**

**Guest: Percy and Sirius will be fairly good friends. There relationship will play a much bigger part during Sea of Monsters, though.**

* * *

Sirius was the first one of the Marauders to reach their compartment. He put his trunk up on the rack and flopped himself down into the seat. He buried his face in his hands. It had been a long month after Luke had disappeared. It had been so abrupt and unexpected, and Sirius couldn't help but feel immensely guilty. He should have gone to Chiron as soon as Luke came to him about Kronos, but he didn't. It was _his _fault Percy had been poisoned. _His_ fault Percy had almost died.

"Sirius, you alright?"

Sirius looked up from his hands. The compartment door had been opened without him noticing, and James was looking at him worriedly. Sirius started to nod his head yes before quickly shaking it. Tears were beginning to pour from his eyes.

"No," Sirius said, voice cracking. "It's my fault. Luke."

James quickly shut the door and locked it upon hearing the name. He knew he was the only one who knew about where Sirius went over the summer, and it would be bad if Remus, Peter, or anyone else walked in right now. James dropped his trunk in the middle of the floor and sat down next to his brother in all but blood, wrapping an arm around Sirius' shoulders.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked.

Sirius looked up at James, silver meeting hazel. When he opened his mouth, he didn't intend for everything to come spilling out, but spill it did. James sat and listened as Sirius recounted his entire summer, from meeting Percy, his lessons with his father, going to Manhattan with his father, to his conversation with Luke, and Luke's disappearance.

By the time Sirius was done, he had cried all his tears and was dry sobbing. James just sat silently and pulled Sirius tighter against him as Sirius calmed himself. Slowly, Sirius sat up, wiping away the tear tracks with his sleeve.

"Does it look like I've been crying?" he asked.

"A little," James said, shrugging. "Here, Mum always used to use this spell on me after I finished crying." James pulled out his wand and flicked it, muttering the spell under his breath in complete concentration. The redness from Sirius' eyes left, and the remainder of the tear tracks disappeared. "There."

"Thanks, mate," Sirius said. He stood up and stretched, his back cracking. Sirius moved to the door and unlocked it.

Remus was standing on the other side of the door, fist raised, poised to knock. Sirius grinned at him and moved to the side so Remus could enter the compartment, only to trip over James' trunk.

"Argh!" Remus shouted. "Bloody hell, James. Why didn't you put this up on the rack?"

"Sorry, mate," James grinned sheepishly. "We had a slight problem in here."

"I don't want to know," Remus sighed. He and Sirius easily lifted James' and Remus' own trunk onto the rack. "Say, have any of you seen Peter?"

"Thought he was with you," James said shrugging.

"Hey, guys!" Peter squeaked as he came running into the compartment, his trunk bumping around behind him. "Sorry, I had to use the loo."

"No problem, Pete," Sirius said, smiling easily as he lounged on the seat next to James. Maybe Hogwarts was exactly what he needed right now."

* * *

Sirius fell back on his bed laughing. James was standing at the foot of the bed, wand held aloft and grinning crazily.

"Tell me I'm pretty!" James demanded. "Or I won't take off the curse."

"Never!" Sirius managed to shout between laughs. He was wiggling incessantly as James held him under Rictusempra.

"Oh for the love of Merlin and Morgana," Remus sighed. He flicked his wand and said, "Finite Incantatem." Sirius' laughs died down and his wiggling stopped. "You'll kill him, James."

"Nah," James said, shrugging his shoulders. He jumped and landed face down on Sirius' bed. He turned his head to grin over at Peter, who was sitting eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "He's good. Right, Sirius?"

James turned to face Sirius who grinned cheekily back at him.

"All's good, Remus," Peter said, laughing.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," Remus said fondly, opening his Defense book.

* * *

"Why do you take Muggle Studies?" Marlene asked Sirius as he and James sat down across from her at the round table. "Don't your parents hate muggles?"

"That's kind of the point," Sirius said, doing his best to concentrate on Marlene's words and not the game of footsie James had just started up with him. "Call it a small act of rebellion. I hate my parents." Sirius didn't find it necessary to mention to Marlene that he no longer lived with his mother, or that Orion Black wasn't actually his father. Remus, Peter, and James were the only wizards privy to that information, and James was the only one who knew Orion wasn't Sirius' real father.

"Fair enough," Marlene agreed. "My mum was a Longbottom, and she always says she hated going to events with the Blacks because they're a bunch of nasty old codgers. No offense, Sirius. I don't think you're like that."

"None taken, Marlene," Sirius said, smiling slightly. The butterflies from last year were back in action. "They truly are."

"Yeah," James agreed. "I mean, Sirius here is a right arse by himself. I can't imagine meeting the rest."

Marlene just laughed as Sirius punched James rather harshly in the shoulder.

"Alright, settle down," the professor said, standing from his desk. "We're starting class now."

* * *

"Sirius," a voice whispered in his ear. "Wakey, wakey, let's eat some cakey."

"Wha'?" Sirius mumbled, his speech slurred. "Wha's goin' on?"

"Happy birthday!" four voices shouted, and Sirius screamed, falling off the bed. He looked at the four people standing in front of him.

"Don't _do_ that!" he yelled, clutching at his racing heart. "Bloody hell."

"Sorry, mate," Peter said sheepishly. He held out a hand and helped Sirius stand up. "We had the house elves make you cake, though."

Sirius looked over at where Peter gestured. A beautiful chocolate-frosted cake with 'Happy 15th Sirius!' written in cursive with silver icing. And standing behind the cake, was Marlene Mckinnon. Sirius shouted again and quickly pulled the quilt off the top of his bed to wrap around himself.

"Dammit, you guys," he snapped. "You know I only sleep in my pants!"

James, Remus, and Peter all started laughing at the blush rising heavily on both Marlene and Sirius' cheeks.

"I'm gonna get dressed," Sirius, mumbled, his entire face, and the back of his neck, a bright red. Sirius grabbed a pair of muggle jeans and his Gryffindor quidditch jersey and rushed into the bathroom. He quickly pulled them on and pulled his long hair into a ponytail before exiting the small bathroom the boys had in their dorm.

In the short amount of time Sirius had been changing, Marlene and the three boys had managed to put candles in the cake and light it.

_Happy birthday to you,_ they began to sing.

Sirius felt a smile creep up on his lips. This was turning out to be the best year at Hogwarts yet.

* * *

"I think we should learn how to become animagi," James said out of the blue.

"What?" Peter squeaked.

James, Sirius, and Peter were all sitting in their dorm together. It was the night of the full moon, and Remus was locked up in the Shrieking Shack all by himself.

"We should become animagi," James said again.

"To help Remus?" Sirius asked. James nodded and Sirius smiled. "That's actually a good idea."

"I'm missing something," Peter grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Werewolf bites don't affect other animals, Pete," Sirius said excitedly. He jumped up from his bed and started pacing. "We'd be able to help Remmy through the change!"

"Exactly," James said, grinning. "Come on. I already checked out a bunch of books from the library. Told Pince we were researching for a new prank. She wasn't happy, but she believed us."

"You're a genius, James," Sirius said.

* * *

"Hey, Sirius," Marlene called, running to catch up with the Marauder. "Wait up!"

"What is it, Marls?" Sirius asked, automatically using the nickname he had come up with for her.

Marlene's cheeks heated up ever so slightly. "I was wondering if you might want to go to Hogsmeade with me this Halloween," she said, starting slowly, but her speech speeding up near the end of the sentence.

"Like a date?" Sirius asked, nervously.

"Well, yeah," Marlene mumbled. "That's what I had in mind."

"Definitely," Sirius said, his mouth spewing the word. "I mean, yeah, I'd love to."

"Great," Marlene cheered, a wide smile lighting up her face. "Want to meet outside the Great Hall at nine?"

"Sounds good," Sirius said. Marlene gave him a wide smile before turning and sauntering off. Sirius could feel himself swooning.

* * *

"Merlin," Sirius groaned, staring wide-eyed at James. "What should I wear?"

It was seven in the morning, and James was rather amused that Sirius had woken him up to ask what he should where on his first date.

"First off, I'm not Merlin," James teased. "My name is James. Say it with me. Jay-ames." Sirius glared heavily at his best friend. "Well," James said, laughing, "I recommend a pair of muggle jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Nothing too fancy, though. It's just Hogsmeade. I also recommend you where your brown loafers."

"Who knew you were a fashion guru," Sirius joked as he pulled out the items James had suggested. "Honest, though. You're a lifesaver James."

"Just go get the girl," James laughed, clapping Sirius on the back. Sirius grinned and went to the bathroom to change.

* * *

"I had fun today," Marlene said cheerfully as she sipped her butterbeer.

"Me too," Sirius agreed, putting his own mug back on the table.

The pair, after a long day of window shopping and buying sweets, had settled into the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer.

"Uh, Marlene," Sirius started. He paused, trying to think of the right words. "I really had fun today, and I would love to do it again sometime. Would you be my girlfriend?"

"I'd love to, Sirius," Marlene said, reaching across the table to take Sirius' hand in her own. "I honestly thought you'd never ask."

Sirius hid his grin behind another sip of butterbeer.

* * *

The next two months flew by for Sirius. Here at Hogwarts, he could pretend there were no problems. The world was just him, his friends, and his new girlfriend, who he was hopelessly infatuated with. It was Christmas break now, and Sirius was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his dorm with James, Peter, and Remus. Marlene had gone home for the holidays, leaving Sirius with a light kiss on the lips, their first.

"Concentrate," Remus reprimanded Sirius as he noticed the older boy's mind start to wander. "You need to focus if you want to find out your animagus form."

"I know," Sirius grunted. He squeezed his eyes shut as he delved further and further into his own mind. There came a started yelp from James as the boy fell over.

"A stag," he shouted gleefully. "I'm a stag."

Sirius and Peter both clenched their fists as they concentrated harder and harder. Sirius looked as deep as he could into his mind and found himself face to face with a large, black dog. Sirius instantly recognized the creature as a grim. _How fitting,_ he mused as he opened his eyes. Remus and James turned to him expectantly.

"A grim," Sirius said, almost proudly. James winked at him as Peter opened his own eyes.

"It was fuzzy," Peter said, "But I think I'm a rat."


	15. Chickens and Animagi

**Okay, so I'm on a roll here. Seriously, these updates are totally random. You never know when I'm going to get a new one up.**

**Reviews:**

**darkworkangel: Thanks a bunch.**

**Sianna Scale: Thanks so much!**

**TimeyWimeyBadWolf: Thanks. No more animagus in this chapter, but very soon. I promise. Sirius will definitely figure it out over the summer. I can promise that.**

**the funky she-wolf 33415: Took me a second to realize what you meant, but then I couldn't stop laughing.**

**Shadowstouch: Thank you so much. That is so sweet. Sirius is my all time favorite character, and I feel like JK Rowling doesn't go in depth enough about how crappy his life really was. Sirius will be going to the Underworld, with some visits back and forth between England and Camp Half-Blood.**

* * *

"Hey, Marls," Sirius laughed as his girlfriend flung her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "I missed you too!"

"Two weeks was way too long without seeing you, Sirius," Marlene said. She was grinning up at Sirius in the memorizing way of hers.

Sirius instantly felt his stomach drop. Two weeks was a long time? How would she feel about not being able to see him all summer? Did he trust her enough to be able to tell her about his real father? No. Not yet at least.

"I know, Marls," Sirius said. "Way too long." A grin lit up his face. "You missed it! We decorated the common room, and McGonagall's face when she saw it was the most hilarious thing I have ever seen!"

"What did you lot do?" Marlene asked, grinning.

* * *

Sirius and Remus peeked around the wall together. They were in charge of making sure the Slytherins were in position while James and Peter set off the prank. Sirius nudged Remus, and the werewolf held up his hand in a fist to let James and Peter know it was time.

James flicked his wand, and the chickens were released. Sirius snorted at the look on his half-brother's face when a chicken ran in front of him. Remus grabbed Sirius' arm before he could start laughing, and they both began running. James and Peter joined them, and they ran up to the third floor, not stopping until they reached an abandoned classroom. The four boys doubled over in laughter.

"Where'd you get this idea, Padfoot?" James asked.

"One of my American friends," Sirius gasped out between fits of laughter. "In muggle American schools, the graduating class always do pranks, and this was an idea, but they didn't put into action."

"How long do you think it'll take before the teachers realize there's only nine chickens, not ten?" Peter asked.

"No clue," Remus said. "Filch is going to be so bloody pissed."

"Worth it," Sirius grinned. He sat down in one of the chairs still in the room and lounged back. "The real question, though, is how much detention is McGonagall going to give us?"

* * *

James and Sirius burst into laughter as a chicken walked through the open door into Slughorn's classroom. It had been a week, and chicken seven was the last one to be caught. Definitely worth all the detentions.

"Is this the last one, then?" Slughorn asked as he picked up the chicken and conjured a cage to put it in.

"Yes," James said, laughing.

Slughorn chuckled good naturedly. "Get back to work, you two. McGonagall will have my head if she finds out I didn't take this detention seriously. James and Sirius shared one last grin before going back to work.

* * *

Sirius cheered as he watched James score another goal. James had to be the best quidditch player out on the field. No one in Hogwarts could fly quite as well as he could.

"And Potter scores another ten points!" Remus commented from the commentator's podium. "Kick some Slytherin arse for us, Prongsie!"

"Remus Lupin!" McGonagall screeched, her voice magnified by the megaphone. Sirius laughed as Remus evaded the professor's grasp.

"Come on, James!" he shouted into the megaphone. "Win or we'll hide all the Honey Dukes that's in the dorm!"

Sirius and Peter snorted. They both knew Remus would actually do it.

"Crap," Sirius groaned when he saw the bludger heading towards Regulus. "Come on, Reggie."

From next to him, Marlene gripped Sirius' hand. She gave him a comforting smile, and Sirius smiled back before turning back to the match. Regulus saw the bludger just in time and managed to dive just in time. Sirius felt the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding rush out of himself. He jumped up in his seat as Michael McGonagall, the Gryffindor seeker, rushed past Regulus in the younger boy's distraction and grabbed the snitch.

"Gryffindor wins!" Remus shouted excitedly into the megaphone. "Gryffindor wins, 240-100! We'll let you eat the chocolate, James!"

Sirius snorted as McGonagall smacked Remus over the head. James was flying celebratory loops around the field with the rest of the quidditch team, but Sirius was pretty sure that he was more excited about Remus giving up his precious chocolate than actually winning the match.

* * *

James and Sirius high-fived in their dorm. Peter was still downstairs, and Remus was in the library studying for his last exam, Divination. James had opted not to take what he thought was an unnecessary subject. That had been Sirius' reasoning at first, but upon visiting the Oracle, he decided he wanted nothing to do with knowing the future.

"Here's to no more exams," James cheered, bringing his bottle of butterbeer up to clink against Sirius'. "Hey, Padfoot, if you're not too busy over the summer, you should stop by the manor."

"I don't know, James," Sirius sighed. "You never know. I mean, last year Zeus' bloody Master Bolt got stolen. Who the Hades knows what'll happen this year."

"I know," James said, he looked slightly dejected. "But if you have any time, you could Shadow Travel over, right?"

"Yeah," Sirius grinned. James was the best person in the world. "I'm sure I'll find some days. Your parents won't think it's weird, right?"

"Nah," James said, shrugging. "I'll just tell them you took the Knight Bus. Contact me before you come, though, so I can let them know."

"Will do," Sirius grinned.

* * *

"Bye, Marls," Sirius said, kissing his girlfriend on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you too, Siri," Marlene mumbled against Sirius' shoulder. "Promise you'll write and come visit?"

Sirius mentally froze. How was he supposed to write? Maybe his dad knew a way.

"I'll try my best, Marls, but I spend my summers in America with some distant family. I don't know if owls can make it, but I'll definitely come visit."

Marlene looked slightly put out by this before brightening up. "Okay, Sirius. As long as you visit. I have to go, my mum's waving me over."

"Bye, Marls."

Sirius watched his girlfriend walk away. Sometimes, sometimes he wanted to tell her, but most of the time he felt like he shouldn't. It was a gut feeling, and the number two rule of being a demigod was follow your gut. Number one was always have duct tape on you. James had laughed himself silly when he saw the black roll of tape in Sirius' trunk. He thought it was funny, at least, until it came in handy for a prank.

Sirius sighed as he let the shadows surround him and bring him to the top of Half-Blood Hill. Who knew what this summer would bring.


	16. The Poisoning of Thalia Grace

**Okay, so I know I literally posted a chapter just three hours ago, but I couldn't help myself.**

**Reviews:**

**darkworkangel: Thanks so much. I couldn't help myself.**

* * *

Sirius was met by Chiron on the top of the hill. The centaur was looking down and had his hand resting on Thalia's pine.

"Chiron?" Sirius asked, stepping up behind the centaur. "What's going on?"

Chiron turned his head to look at Sirius sadly. "Thalia's Pine, it's been poisoned. I haven't told Annabeth yet. I have no idea how to."

"Oh."

Sirius rested his hand on the tree and felt for its life force. It was weak, hardly a glow. The tree itself seemed to be in pain. Sirius knew instantly who had done it. Only one person could have. Luke. It killed Sirius to think that, but he knew it had to be true. Who else could have done it?

That meant this was Sirius' fault too. Just like Percy getting poisoned last year. Sirius should have turned Luke in, but he couldn't. Luke had been everything to Sirius. It was all his fault.

"I'm so sorry, Chiron." Sirius couldn't look at the centaur. He couldn't look and see the blame there. "I'm sorry."

Chiron rested his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "It's not your fault, Sirius. None of this is."

"It all is," Sirius argued. "Luke came to me before he went to Percy. He told me about his dreams from Kronos, Chiron. I got scared. Luke was the first person to ever take care of me. I didn't tell you, but I should have. This is my fault."

"No, Sirius," Chiron said. "None of this is your fault. You couldn't possibly have known how far Luke had gone. He was like an older brother to you, and you were just trying to protect him. The blame is on his shoulders, not yours."

Sirius let Chiron wrap an arm around him in a sort of half-hug. Chiron could tell him it wasn't his fault all he wanted, but Sirius knew it was. Sirius let Chiron led him down the hill. Chiron didn't stop until they reached the Hermes cabin.

"There's something else, Sirius, but I think it best if Travis and Connor tell you."

Sirius was about to ask what Chiron meant, but the centaur had already cantered off. Sighing, Sirius entered the cabin. It was empty except for Travis and Connor. Both brothers were sitting on Travis' bed together, playing with what looked like one of Sirius' old decks of Exploding Snap.

"Sirius," Connor shouted when he noticed the older boy. He sounded happy enough to see Sirius, but his voice seemed slightly subdued. "How are you?"

"Well enough," Sirius said as he flopped down on Luke's old bed. He nearly cringed at the memories. "Who stays on this bed now?"

"No one," Travis replied. "You want it?"

Sirius shrugged, but he already knew his answer. Yes. Anything to stay as close to the old Luke as possible.

"Chiron told me about Thalia's Pine. He said you guys had to tell me something else."

Travis and Connor both froze. The cards in their hands exploded at the wait. Travis spoke first.

"It's about Chris, Sirius."

"What about him?" Sirius was severely confused and worried all at the same time. Had Chris been hurt? Was he dead? Sirius didn't think he could deal with that.

"He's joined Luke," Connor said, continuing for his brother. "He left about a month ago. We thought it better to tell you in person."

Sirius didn't say anything for several long minutes. He could feel the inner turmoil inside. Chris, another friend he had thought of as a brother, not quite as close as Luke but almost, had turned traitor. Sirius didn't know how, exactly, to feel.

"How did Clarisse react?"

Sirius knew well enough how close Chris and Clarisse actually were.

"Not well," Travis admitted. "She won't talk to anyone about it. Maybe you could try. She seems to like you more than anyone else."

Sirius shook his head. "Silena should try. I won't be much help."

"Yeah, I guess," Connor said.

* * *

"Why do you feel dead?" Sirius asked the man standing in front of him.

Across the the pavilion the few campers who had arrived for dinner early burst into laughter. Sirius couldn't help the twitch of his own lips. The feelings of death coming off this man were sending shivers up and down Sirius' spine.

"Excuse me?" the man sneered at Sirius. "I am your new Activities Director. You should treat me with respect!"

"Yeah, no," Sirius replied, snorting. "Seriously, though, why do you feel like death? You even smell kind of dead." Sirius made a show of fanning the air in front of his nose. The man's scowl deepened.

"I am Tantalus," he said. "Show me some respect!"

Tantalus. The name clicked in Sirius' mind. A Greek demigod king who had tried to feed the gods cut up human flesh. Yeah, Sirius would definitely be messing with him.

"How about not," Sirius said, a cheeky grin stretched across his face. "You see, my dad kind of owns you."

"The son of Thanatos," Tantalus sneered. "I'd be careful if I were you."

Sirius just rolled his eyes. The dead guy could go jump in a volcano for all he cared. Everyone who was supposed to be dead would end up in the Underworld permanently. It was only a matter of time. Sirius walked away to sit down next to Travis and Connor. The rest of the Hermes cabin had always given him a wide berth.

* * *

"There's something coming, soldiers!" Clarisse shouted.

Sirius jumped to his feet and groaned at what he saw. Just great. Metal bulls. How exactly were they supposed to kill these things? Sirius' hand jumped to the pendant he always had hanging around his neck and summoned Skia from it. This would be fun.

"Charge!" Clarisse shouted.

Charge they did. Sirius rushed forwards with the members of the Ares cabin that were stationed around the tree. With Thalia's Pine dying, the magic border around camp were dying. One of the two bulls that had shown up ran at Sirius, and the demigod managed to jump to the side just in time to avoid being burned to a crisp by the hot metal of the bull. Sirius slashed Skia at the bull's hind leg and ripped into the bronze hide. It did nothing to slow the metal creature down. For all his efforts, Sirius got an awful burn on his arm.

"Clarisse!" Sirius shouted. "What's the plan?"

"Border patrol to me!" Clarisse yelled back.

"Dammit," Sirius cursed.

The bulls were inside the borders now. Sirius looked behind him to make sure there were no monsters behind him. Three figures were running up the hill. Sirius easily recognized Percy's messy, black hair, and Annabeth's ponytail, but the third figure Sirius didn't recognize. Was that a baby cyclops?

Sirius didn't have time to ponder on it. He charged at the bulls, deflecting one's horn from skewering Clarisse in the back. She nodded her thanks at him. Percy and Annabeth had joined the fight. Percy was yelling at the baby cyclops to stand back. Did Percy not realize they could really use a cyclops' help right about now? None of them could get close enough to the bulls to really finish the things off.

"I, Annabeth Chase, give you permission to enter camp!" Sirius was just close enough to hear Annabeth speak.

The cyclopes wasted no time in running to Percy's aid. It took the bull by its horn and crushed it as if it were a tin can. Percy stared at the cyclops as if he'd never seen the thing before. Sirius wondered if Percy had been fooled by the Mist into thinking the cyclops was just a normal mortal. Clarisse had finished off the other bull by ramming her electric spear straight into it.

"You—ruin—everything!" Clarisse yelled at Percy, marching over to him. "I had it under control!"

Sirius nearly scoffed at that. They most certainly had _not_ had everything under control.

"Good to see you to, Clarisse," Annabeth said, rolling his eyes.

"Argh!" Clarisse screamed. "Don't ever, EVER try saving me again!"

"Clarisse," Annabeth said, "you've got wounded campers."

That sobered her up. Sirius knew as well as anyone that Clarisse cared deeply about the soldiers under her command.

"I'll be back," she growled, then trudged off to assess the damage.

Sirius walked up to Percy and Annabeth. He pulled Percy into a tight hug and even gave one to Annabeth.

"You two sure were a sight for sore eyes," he said with a tight grimace. "I think I have at least a second degree burn from when I got too close to one of those things." Sirius twisted his arm to show Annabeth and Percy the angry red mark. He turned to the cyclops. "Hello, thanks for the help back there. The name's Sirius Black."

Sirius held out his hand, and the cyclops gripped it tightly, shaking Sirius' hand enthusiastically. Sirius had a feeling he would grow to like the cyclops a whole lot.

"Tyson," the cyclops said enthusiastically. "I'm Percy's friend!"

"Yeah, me too," Sirius said. The cyclops smiled widely at him.

Sirius nearly started laughing at Percy's following conversation with the cyclops. It turned out that, no, Percy hadn't known his friend, Tyson, was a cyclops. Sirius shook his head as he made his way to the infirmary. Will Solace was the only one in there. Sirius liked the son of Apollo well enough. He had never judged Sirius for being a son of Thanatos. The nine-year old was just happy that Sirius didn't treat him like he knew nothing. Will was perfectly happy to treat Sirius' burns.


	17. A Vacation in the Underworld

**Hey again all. This one took me a while to write just because there were so many parts to put together. Hope you all enjoy.**

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**booklover2613: Thanks a lot. Nina's Destiny is actually being edited. I think MeggieBlack has up to chapter 18 or something edited. Once it's all edited, she's going to be continuing it, so check it out!**

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* * *

Percy sat down next to Sirius beside Thalia's Pine. Sirius had his back up against the tree, a scroll of parchment stretched out on a rock next to him, quill in hand, and ink balanced carefully on a root in the ground. Percy sat with his knees to his chest, chin resting on top, staring out into the mortal world. The two boys sat together in silence together for several long minutes before Percy spoke.

"It's weird," he said softly. "I've always been an only child, and now I find out I'm a big brother. I've always wanted a little brother, but now that I have one, I think I've changed my mind."

Sirius turned to Percy, affronted. "Changed your mind?" he asked. "Why in the name of bloody Hades would you have changed your mind about that?"

Percy shrugged. "I don't know. It's just, Tyson's a cyclops. I don't know how to deal with that."

"Don't know how to deal," Sirius scoffed. "Do you have any idea what I'd give to have my little brother back?"

"You have a little brother?" Percy asked.

Sirius leaned back against Thalia's pine, putting down his quill. "His name is Regulus. My mother's son, the perfect son. I love him so much it hurts sometimes, but he doesn't feel the same. Since I left, I doubt he ever wants to see me again."

"I don't believe that," Percy said. "You're pretty awesome, Sirius. Connor and Travis look up to you enough, and your the one who really made me feel welcome here. I'm sure your brother still loves you."

"You really think about me like that?" Sirius blanched, turning to look at Percy. "I mean I understand Travis and Connor since we practically live together, but _you_, Percy? We hardly even know each other."

Percy shrugged. "You were the only person who didn't treat me any differently what-so-ever once everyone found out I was a son of Poseidon."

"It's because I know what it's like to be a pariah," Sirius replied. "I think you and Tyson just need some time to get used to each other."

Percy nodded his head. "Why are you up here, anyway, Sirius? It's rather lonely."

"I was helping Thalia," Sirius replied. He patted the root of the tree. "I'm trying to help take some of the pain away and keep her alive as long as possible."

"Son of the death god thing?" Percy asked. Sirius nearly rolled over in laughter.

* * *

"You're leaving."

It wasn't a question. Sirius knew Chiron was going. No one could prove Luke was the one who had poisoned Thalia's Pine, so the gods were getting rid of Chiron.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again." Chiron tried for a comforting smile, but it didn't help Sirius at all.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you as well, Sirius."

Sirius turned his head away as Chiron cantered off. He didn't think he could bare to watch it.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Clarisse asked.

She and Sirius were standing next to each other on top of Half-Blood Hill, Sirius' almost permanent spot these days. When in doubt, you could always find Sirius sitting next to Thalia's Pine.

"Positive." Even as he was speaking, Sirius was letting his essence seep out of him into the pine tree, hoping to at least alleviate some of the pain, if not slow the poison down. "I can't."

"You're getting pale," Clarisse said reproachfully. "You're putting too much of yourself into this. You'll get hurt, Sirius."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Is that a touch of concern I detect, La Rue?"

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Just promise you'll be careful."

Sirius couldn't bring himself to meet Clarisse's eyes as she ran down the hill to Argus' awaiting van.

* * *

Sirius had fallen asleep leaning against Thalia's Pine. That in and of itself wasn't odd. Connor and Travis, sometimes Percy, would often come up to drag him to his bed in the Hermes cabin. They worried for Sirius, and he knew it. He just couldn't abandon Thalia's Pine, though. The tree was the only thing keeping the camp safe.

Sirius was awoken by the sound of someone sitting down next to him. He opened his eyes blearily and mumbled, "Five more minutes, Percy."

A deep rumbling laugh sounded from beside the sleepy demigod. Sirius sat up and rubbed at his eyes.

"Dad?" he asked.

"Yes, Sirius." Thanatos rested his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Your friend Percy, along with the cyclops and daughter of Athena left earlier this evening to follow Clarisse to find the Golden Fleece."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sirius asked, sitting up straighter and leaning back against the tree. "I would've found out in the morning."

"That is not why I am here," Thanatos admitted. "Tantalus does not like you, Sirius. I take full blame for that."

"Why, Dad? Did you personally bring him to the Underworld?"

Thanatos' lips curled in the trace of a smirk. "No. I planned his punishment."

Sirius grinned widely at that. Watching Thanatos be tormented during the few meals Sirius had shown up at had been the highlight of his summer so far. Although, his summer hadn't been going quite as planned.

"Why are you warning me?" Sirius asked.

"Tantalus will accuse you of poisoning the tree, Sirius." Thanatos' face was dead serious as he looked at his son. "When this happens you will come straight to my palace in the Underworld. Do you think you can manage to Shadow Travel there?"

"I can do it," Sirius said.

"Good." Thanatos paused as if considering his next words. "Be careful, Sirius. I love you."

"I love you too," Sirius whispered into the night as his father disappeared into the shadows. Sirius let the shadows surround himself, bringing him to his warm bed in the Hermes cabin.

* * *

As if on schedule, as soon as Sirius walked into the dining pavilion the next morning, Tantalus was on his feet, finger pointing.

"You!" Tantalus shouted.

"Me," Sirius mocked, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Did you miss me, darling?"

Tantalus' scowl deepened, his eyes barely containing his contempt for Sirius. He glared threateningly at the young demigod.

"Watch your tone, filth," he sneered. "I know what you've been up to. Poisoning the tree, weakening our borders. You'd gladly see us all dead!"

There were many gasps around the pavilion. Sirius ignored them in favor of taunting Thanatos more.

"You are dead," the demigod said. He gave Tantalus a mocking smile. "Don't worry, though. I was leaving anyway. Just grabbing some toast first."

Sirius grabbed a couple pieces of toast from the nearest table. He bit into it, smiling toothily all the while. As soon as Tantalus took a step towards him, Sirius let the shadows swarm him, gathering him up and spitting him back out in the middle of his father's living room.

"You missed the couch, Sirius," Thanatos said lazily, not looking up from his iPad. He used a finger to scroll down on the page he was looking at.

Sirius stood up, rubbing his backside carefully. "I realized," he said. "In case you care, wood floors hurt a whole lot."

Thanatos smirked. "You should have thought of that before you crash landed on one. Are you ready to train?"

"One sec." Sirius shoved the rest of his toast in his mouth. ""kay, Dad."

"Attractive," Thanatos mutter, rolling his eyes fondly.

Sirius grinned, swallowing his toast.


	18. Shopping in Diagon Alley

**I have a fairly long chapter for you all. 2,554 words not including the AN. I'm very proud of this here chapter, just so you know.**

**Warnings: Mentions of child abuse. Not descriptive, just acknowledgement that it happened in the past to a character and is occurring in the present to a different character.**

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**darkworkangel: Thanks a bunch! Means the world to me.**

**sweetzchristopher: They definitely did not have iPads in the 70's. I don't know much about the 1970's technology, so yeah. Sorry if it's not exactly accurate.**

* * *

Sirius groaned as he flopped down on his bed in his father's palace. He was so _sore_! His father had had him up at dawn to begin practicing his powers. Sirius still could smell stench of the dead bodies in the morgue they had visited. A young man had refused to come to the Underworld. It had taken Sirius forever to explain to him he was already dead and there was nothing the man could do about it. That guy had been a right pain in the arse for Sirius. And he didn't even want to _think_ about the old lady in the hospital! She was a bloody nightmare!

Sirius' pillow was soft and comfy, and the gray quilt he had thrown over himself was warm. He could feel his eyes closing. Rest, after such a long day, sounded like Elysium to Sirius. Oh, how he wished to fall into Morpheus' clutches, maybe dream about something happy for once, like his best friends or girlfriend.

"Sirius!"

Sirius jumped up right in bed, on high alert. He knew that voice. Sirius' eyes met Chiron's through the misty image. Chiron was smiling happily. Percy was there, in the image, too. Annabeth could be seen just a little ways off, talking to a black-haired girl Sirius had never seen before.

"Chiron?" Sirius asked. He could feel his body relaxing as the adrenaline rushed out of him. "What's going on?"

Chiron smiled happily at Sirius. "Happy news, my dear boy. Clarisse's quest for the Golden Fleece was successful." Chiron's smile flickered for a moment as he looked back at the dark-haired girl. "Perhaps a little too successful. Thalia has been resurrected. Tantalus is back in the Fields of Punishment, if you did not already know that, and I have been reinstated as Activities Director."

Percy was grinning widely in the Iris Message, and Sirius found it rather contagious. "That's great, Chiron," Sirius said. "I'm really happy for you. How is Thalia?"

"Well," Chiron said. "She would like to thank you for your help." Chiron turned over his shoulder and called out Thalia's name. The black-haired girl came running.

"You Sirius Black?" she asked inquisitively. She popped that mint green bubble she was blowing with her gum.

"That'd be me," Sirius said. He smiled awkwardly at Thalia. Oh gods, he did _not_ like meeting new people.

"Great," Thalia said. She didn't say it awkwardly, like Sirius would have. Confidence and ease seemed to ooze out of the girl. "I wanted to say thanks for what you did for me." She seemed to falter now. "It helped a lot. I could feel the poison, and I knew when you were there. It took some of the pain away."

Sirius could feel his cheeks heating up ever so slightly. "Glad I could help," he mumbled, embarrassed; for what, he had no clue. "Uh, sorry, but I've been training all day, so, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep."

"Of course, Sirius," Chiron said. "Just one last thing. With Tantalus gone, your banishment has been lifted. You are welcome back at camp. I know your friends miss you greatly."

Percy was nodding eagerly from his place next to Chiron. Sirius felt guilt drop into his stomach. Sure, most of the camp hated him, but, for the few that liked him, they were great friends. At the same time, Sirius wasn't really sure he was ready to leave his dad yet. He glanced at the door. Thanatos had yet to come in to say good night, as he had done every night since Sirius had come to stay with him. Sirius wasn't ready to give up his dad yet. He knew Thanatos would not be able to come see him in camp.

"If it's all the same, Chiron," Sirius said slowly, carefully articulating his words, I think I'd rather come back next year and spend the rest of this summer with my dad."

Sirius felt even worse as Percy's smile visibly dimmed. Sirius wondered how much time Annabeth had been spending with Percy since Thalia came back. Thalia meant the world to Annabeth, Sirius had realized, after Thalia and Luke, dare Sirius even _think_ the name, had rescued the girl as a seven year old. Could Percy be losing his best friend because of that? Sirius hated to even think about it.

"I'll come by for your birthday, though, Perce," Sirius found himself promising without even thinking about it. Had he really become that close with Percy after spending such a small amount of time with him? "And of course I'll have to come by camp to see Travis, Connor, Clarisse, Silena, and Beckendorf before I leave for school, right?

Percy's smile was back again. "Sounds cool, Sirius," he said. "Do you know where my mom even lives, though? My birthday's after camp lets out."

"I shan't reveal my secrets," Sirius said with a wicked grin as he slashed his hand through the rainbow that had appeared in his dark bedroom. He turned to the ajar door where his father was standing.

"You're staying."

It was a simple statement, but Sirius could see the emotion behind his father's eyes.

"Yeah," the demigod said. "I mean, how often am I going to get to stay here with you? I like it here, Dad."

Thanatos smiled at the moniger, as he always did. It always made Sirius feel giddy inside to call the god Dad. He had a dad, a real one; a father who treated him like an actual son. Sirius scooted over on his bed to make room for Thanatos to sit down with him. And if Sirius cuddled up to his dad? Well, no one had to know.

"I am glad," Thanatos said. "I did not have it in me to tell you Chiron was back." The god's eyes looked sad. "I have never been as close to any of my children as I am you, Sirius. I enjoy our time together."

"Me too, Dad," Sirius said. And, with his head resting in the god's lap, Sirius closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Thanatos asked as he peeked around the corner.

"An excellent idea," Sirius said, looking behind them. He couldn't risk Peter, Remus, or Marlene seeing him with his dad in Diagon Alley. As much as he trusted them, he wasn't ready to share his other life. He had only shared with James because he couldn't keep it bottled up inside himself with all the stress he had been feeling that day.

"It's clear this way," Thanatos said.

The god and demigod rushed into the bookstore across the street. Both looked like they were about to break into fits of laughter. Sirius was clutching at a stitch in his side from the attempt to not laugh while he was running.

"This is the last stop," Sirius said, a small giggle escaped from between his lips. "After this, I'm all done with school supplies. I need to get something for Percy too, though. His birthday's tomorrow."

"Right," Thanatos said. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "The son of Poseidon. Would he appreciate a book on magical water plants?"

"Percy's got worse dyslexia than me," Sirius replied, mumbling under his breath. He picked up one of the books on his list and fit it into the crook of his arm. "And I have to have the school nurse cast a charm on my eyes once a month so I can read my school books. Maybe a magical water plant?"

"Is there anything else?"

As the two were speaking, they were walking through the store grabbing the books on Sirius' supply list.

"I've got it!" Sirius whisper-yelled as he grabbed the last book. "Magical candy! Percy's always telling me about how his mum gets him candy for his birthday every year, but I bet he's never had magical candy."

"That is a good idea," Thanatos agreed. "Shall we check out?"

Thanatos and Sirius began to move back down the aisle, one all the way in the back of the store. Sirius froze as a slight figure turned the corner and entered the aisle. Thanatos froze behind his son, instantly recognizing the boy for who he was.

"Sirius?" Regulus asked cautiously. He took a hesitant step forward. Crystal blue eyes hesitantly went up to meet Thanatos'. He flinched back, but did not move.

"Hey, Reg," Sirius said. He sent a reassuring smile at the boy, who was shaking just a bit, but Sirius' trained eyes could see it well. "Where are your parents?"

"Mother is still yours," Regulus mumbled, but he flinched violently at Sirius' heavy glare.

At seeing his little brother flinch, Sirius was immediately in front of him, wrapping the boy in a hug. "S'Okay, Reggie," Sirius whispered into Regulus' ear. "Not mad at you."

Regulus pulled slightly back from Sirius to look at Thanatos, who had yet to move.

"This is my dad, Thanatos," Sirius explained, stepping back from Regulus to lay a hand on his dad's arm. "I've been staying with him for most of the summer."

"Is it true?" Regulus asked. "That you're a-" Regulus broke off, unable to finish the thought.

"A god?" Thanatos asked with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, it is true, although I suggest you keep that to yourself. The time is not yet right."

"Okay," Regulus agreed quickly, nodding his head. He turned back to Sirius. "Si?" he started. He took a second pause. "I miss you."

Sirius felt his heart break a little on the inside at the sight of his brother's miserable face, once always filled with joy. Sirius' three years away had destroyed the little boy his brother used to be.

"I miss you too, Reg," Sirius said, wrapping his brother back up in his arms. "All the time." Sirius was glad to note Thanatos had turned away from the little scene. "I didn't think you'd want to see me anymore."

Regulus shook his head violently. "No, Si," he muttered. "I still love you. Do you think...Well, do you think we could, maybe, spend time together in, like, Hogsmeade, or something."

If Sirius' heart had broken at the way his brother looked before, it shattered at how Regulus talked. Once so sure of himself, the young boy stammered now, hardly getting his words out. Sirius half wondered if it was the Slytherins doing it to him or Regulus' own parents. The gods knew Orion and Walburga Black had spared no pity on Sirius. The scars all over his body proved that. Sirius couldn't help but wonder if they would do that to Regulus too.

"Course, Reg," Sirius promised. "You'll always be my little brother. I've got ways to sneak around Hogwarts unseen. We can spend all the time in the world together. Promise."

""kay," Regulus said, still mumbling. "I got to go. I already got my books and Mother expects me back within few more minutes."

"I'll see you at Hogwarts," Sirius called after his little brother as the younger boy turned and left. He turned to his father. "Let's go pay, Dad. We'll get Percy's present and head out. I think I need a long nap."

Thanatos rested his hand on Sirius' shoulder and steered him to the cash register. They quickly paid and made their way out of the store to the nearest candy shop.

* * *

Sirius Shadow Travelled right outside the door of Percy's apartment, present in hand. He lifted his hand and knocked loudly on the door. It swung open to reveal a smiling woman in her early-to-mid thirties, if Sirius had to guess. Her smile seemed to widen as she saw Sirius.

"You must be Sirius," she exclaimed happily. "I'm Sally Jackson, Percy's mom. He said you'd be stopping by. Please, come in."

Sirius' eyes were comically wide as he followed the woman into the small apartment. He went straight over to Percy, who was sitting on the couch eating what appeared to be blue waffles. Percy's face brightened up when he saw Sirius.

"You actually came!" Percy nearly shouted through a mouthful of what was most definitely blue waffle.

"Course I did," Sirius snorted, grabbing a waffle off Percy's plate and taking a bite. "Happy birthday, by the way. How's it been going?"

"Well enough," Percy shrugged. "Just got back two nights ago. Camps been going crazy with Thalia there. Chiron's sending her off to a boarding school in Brooklyn, all girls."

"Fun," Sirius grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

Percy laughed, kicking Sirius' thigh lightly. "Yeah, I guess. It's weird, though. They're still in camp right now, but they'll be so close and so far at the same time."

"Yeah, I understand," Sirius sighed, thinking about Regulus. How could he not have noticed his brother getting so bad? "How do you feel about the whole Thalia thing?"

Percy shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I guess. It's kind of nice having the whole prophecy weight off my back, even if I don't know what I am supposed to do yet. I just wish Annabeth wasn't ignoring me so much." Here Percy looked up at Sirius with pleading eyes.

"I don't know how it feels," Sirius admitted. "But I'm sure Annabeth is just getting used to having Thalia back in her life. She won't be ignoring you for long."

That seemed to cheer Percy up. He sat up and grabbed two game controllers, tossing one to Sirius. Sirius shoved the rest of his waffle in his mouth and sat up as well, chewing roughly. Percy stuck a game in the console, and they began to play, versing each other. Percy nearly alway won, but Sirius didn't entirely mind. He was having way too much fun.

Sirius spent the entire day with the Jacksons. His favorite part, he was not embarrassed to admit, was learning how to use the toaster. It was exceptionally exciting. Right before Sirius was about to leave, Sally caught him alone in the hallway.

"Thank you," she said to Sirius. "For cheering Percy up. He's been down the past few days. I think he was kind of hoping Annabeth would come visit him."

Sirius smiled at Sally. "It wasn't a problem. I love spending time with Percy. He's actually one of the six people I enjoy spending time with in camp."

"Only six?" Sally asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius shrugged. "People aren't a fan of the whole 'son of the death god' thing I've got going on."

Understanding flashed through Sally's eyes, and she wrapped Sirius in a tight hug. Sirius' eyes widened slightly, but he returned it. A warm feeling spread through him, and he wondered if this was what a mother's hug felt like.

"You'll always be welcomed in my home, Sirius," Sally promised. "No matter what. Feel free to visit whenever you want."

"Thank you, Mrs. Jackson," Sirius said earnestly. He smiled as widely as he could without his face breaking. "That means a lot."

"Just Sally," Sally said, laying a hand on Sirius' shoulder. She turned around to leave. "I'll see you soon, yes?"

"Course," Sirius agreed. Sally smiled as she walked back down the hall to say goodnight to Percy.

Sirius himself smiled brightly as the shadows enveloped him. He would later deny his eyes watering as he left the Jackson residence.


	19. Lover's Quarrels and Brotherly Bonding

**Another new chapter. Hope you all enjoy.**

**Reviews:**

**Sianna Scale: Got to wait for the next chapter!**

**Guest from chap17: Thanks!**

**M (Chap 18): Thanks**

**Guest from chap18: Thanks and that's what I'm kind of going for.**

* * *

Sirius moaned in his sleep as he rolled over. He just couldn't get comfortable. Why was the damn mattress so lumpy? There was a noise. A little creak. Sirius felt himself wake up, but he didn't dare open his eyes. Not yet. Another sound. Closer this time. What in Hades could it be? There was a fleeting touch on Sirius' side. He was up in an instant, blindly reaching out and grabbing the thing that had dared to touch him.

"Sirius!" the thing squeaked out.

It was a voice. A girl's voice. Oh Merlin, what did he just do?

"Marlene?" Sirius breathed out, staring at his girlfriend with wide eyes. "Merlin, don't do that!"

"What the hell, Sirius!" Marlene shrieked. "I was just trying to wake you up! You didn't need to go crazy on me."

Sirius looked around. He silently thanked the gods the common room was empty. He looked into his girlfriend's angry, and somewhat frightened, eyes and instantly deflated. Dropping her wrist, Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. It was getting long; he would have to chop it soon.

"I'm sorry, Marls," he sighed. "You startled me."

Marlene cooled off a little at the apology. "I'm sorry too," she said, although she really wasn't all that sorry. "It's time for dinner. I thought you'd be hungry as you didn't really eat all that much lunch."

Hadn't he? Sirius supposed not. He hadn't been feeling all that hungry earlier. Now, though, his stomach was grumbling unhappily, and he was starving. Some food would definitely do him some good.

"Thanks, Marlene," Sirius said. He stood up and stretched. Smirking slightly, he held his arm aloft for Marlene. "Shall we, m'lady."

"I'd be honored, kind knight," Marlene giggled, accepting Sirius' arm graciously. She allowed him to lead her out of the common room before speaking again. "We didn't see each other all summer," she started.

"I know," Sirius sighed. He looked apologetically at Marlene. "I spend every summer with some of my relatives over in America. I really am sorry."

"You could have at least written," Marlene accused. She stopped walking, more than a little upset about the whole thing.

Sirius groaned as he stopped as well, turning to face Marlene. "Marls," he started. "I really am sorry, but I honestly couldn't have written. It's not safe for owls to fly that far, and I don't really know where you live to send you letters the muggle way. My relatives don't have Floo either."

"Right," Marlene said. She was still upset, but she couldn't really argue with that logic. "Whatever."

"You're still mad at me," Sirius said softly. He lifted his hands up to Marlene's cheeks and rested his forehead against hers.

"A little," Marlene admitted. "It's not your fault, though."

Sirius smiled and bent his neck a little to give Marlene a soft kiss on her lips. Inwardly, though, he was cringing. Wasn't it really his fault, though? He could have snuck away from his father to come visit her for a little while, couldn't he have?

* * *

Sirius stared at the large horse-like creature in front of him. All around him, other people in his class were staring at the creature in fear, at least, those in the class that could actually see the creature. Most students were only looking in the general direction. The creature, a thestral, nudged Sirius' arm gently. He carefully reached out to stroke the creature's nose.

Percy would be proud, was all Sirius could think. He was actually touching a horse. At camp, all the horses, most animals, really, had shied away from the aura of death that surrounded him. These creatures, though, really seemed to like him.

"Good job, Mr. Black," Professor Merrythought said excitedly. "They aren't scary. They're quite friendly, really. They just get a bad rep because you can only see them if you've seen death."

Sirius bit his lip to hide his smirk. Oh, he'd seen Death all right. Lived with him. Next to Sirius, James was shaking, trying to hold back his laughter.

* * *

Sirius coughed, glaring at Remus. "You made Pumpkin Juice go up my nose," he accused.

Remus didn't respond. He was too busy laughing, collapsed against Peter. Even James, the traitor, was laughing himself silly. Sirius rolled his eyes at his friends. Weren't they just great? A sudden thought occurred to Sirius. Could he do it? James had done it already. There was only one way to find out. Sirius squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. He needed to focus. It was the only way he could do it.

It took a minute, but eventually Sirius could feel his bones shifting, his hair shrinking back into his head, and fur popping up all over his body. It was uncomfortable, but James said that after the first time you couldn't feel a thing. Sirius lunged from his bed to Remus' and landed on top of the laughing werewolf. Remus collapsed back onto his bed, laughing hysterically, as Sirius licked his face.

"Ew, gross!" Remus groaned. "Sirius, get off of me!"

Sirius backed off and sat on his haunches, thumping his tail happily. He gave James and Peter a doggy grin.

"Definitely a grim," James said as he looked Sirius' animagus form up and down. He ran a hand through the soft fur on top of Sirius' head. "I hereby dub thee Padfoot."

Sirius barked his approval as Peter and Remus nodded in agreement.

* * *

It was late. James and Sirius were the only ones still up in the common room. They knew they should be going to bed, it was a Tuesday night after all, but it was also Sirius' sixteenth birthday, and the boys couldn't be bothered with silly little things like sleep.

"Knight to E5," Sirius commanded, watching as his piece moved and took out James' bishop.

James started to consider his next move, and Sirius looked around the common room. It was kind of dismal without everyone down there creating a ruckus. Ah well. It was nearly midnight. Soon, James and Sirius would be going to bed.

"Bloody hell!" James shouted, jumping back from the board. A small package had appeared in the middle of the chess board.

Sirius reached over and picked it up. Sirius Black, was written across it in a pretty cursive he didn't recognize. Sirius flipped the package over once before setting in to open it. He ripped off the brown paper and stared in shock at the tupperware full of cookies and the little card resting on top. He set the cookies on the table and opened the card, reading it out loud for James to hear. It was in the same cursive as his name had been.

"Dear Sirius,

Happy birthday, dear. Percy called Chiron and asked since we didn't know. I made some blue chocolate chip cookies for you. Everyone seems to rave about them, so I hope you enjoy them. Percy got you something special too. I hope you have a lovely birthday, Sirius.

Love,

Sally and Percy Jackson"

"Demigod friends of yours?" James asked as Sirius opened the tupperware full of cookies.

"Percy is," Sirius said. He moaned at the taste of the cookie. It should be illegal for a chocolate chip cookie to taste that good. "Sally is his mum. I only met her one time."

"That's really nice of her," James said, reaching out for a cookie. Sirius let him take the one.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I didn't expect anything from Percy, let alone his mum."

Sirius' heart was warmed as he remembered what Sally had said to him just before he left her apartment. "You'll always be welcomed in my home, Sirius," Sally promised. "No matter what. Feel free to visit whenever you want." Sirius gave a giddy laugh. He lifted the tupperware, and, sure enough, there was a poorly wrapped box that signified Percy's present. Sirius grabbed it and tore the paper, blue, off. Inside the box was a little clay bead with a pine tree scratched into the side.

Sirius couldn't help his smile at the gift. He hadn't even been at camp most of the summer, and Percy had still picked up a bead for him. Underneath the bead was a note with Percy's messy scrawl. Wanted to wait until you're birthday to give this to you. Hope you like. Sirius removed his leather necklace and slid the bead on with the others from camp. He had three now. Three years of living as a demigod.

"A bead?" James asked, looking at Sirius curiously.

"We get them at the end of each summer," Sirius explained, tying his necklace back on. "I wasn't at camp for most of this summer, so I never got mine."

"Three," James said. "That's how long you've been at camp?"

Sirius nodded his head.

* * *

Sirius couldn't help his laughter. Regulus' pout was just too adorable. Sirius had a hard time believing his little brother was turning fifteen in less than a month.

"Stop laughing Si," Regulus complained. "I'm being serious!"

That just sent Sirius into even more laughter. He wrapped his arm around his little brother's shoulders and pulled the boy into his side.

"Sorry," Sirius gasped out between his panted breaths. "You're too cute for your own good, Reg."

"I'm not cute," Regulus grumbled. Sirius raised an eyebrow, and Regulus smirked up at him. "What about my question?"

"I'm sure you could manage to sabotage Snivellus' potion, Reg," Sirius said. "You're rather sneaky." Sirius pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Pranking Snivellus. I've never been more proud in my life."

Regulus' answering smile was enough to keep Sirius himself grinning for days.

* * *

"Do you really have to go back?" Marlene asked as Sirius packed his trunk.

Sirius could feel the groan growing in his throat, but he refused to let it out. He really didn't feel like getting into an argument with Marlene right now. He had just got back from a grueling DADA lesson.

"Yes, Marlene," Sirius sighed. "I am going to see my family. It's just two weeks."

"Two weeks of absolutely no contact!" Marlene argued. "Again!"

"Look," Sirius snapped. "I see you all year. I see my family ten weeks. Ten, Marlene. Excuse me for wanting to see them whenever I get the chance!"

Marlene flushed slightly, looking down at the floor. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I guess you're right, Sirius."

Sirius felt slightly guilty for raising his voice, but it needed to be said. He reached out and pulled Marlene into his arms. "I love you," he whispered softly. Marlene looked up at him with wide eyes. It was the first time either of them had said it.

"I love you too," Marlene said, a smile stretching across her face. She leaned forward to kiss Sirius' cheek, but at the last minute he turned his head to capture her lips with his own. In Sirius' not-so-humble opinion, it was their best yet.


	20. The Start of Winter Break

**I am so sorry about the delay in getting this up. Six honors courses is honestly kicking my ass. Add onto that four hours of dance a week along with a private band lesson, which takes another two hours out of my already insane schedule, and I have time for absolutely nothing. I honestly just want to sleep right now, and it's only 5:30. Once again, I am so so so sorry.**

**This story is officially over a year old, so wish it a happy birthday!**

* * *

Sirius moaned as Sally put another plate of cookies in front of him. "You are the best, Mrs. J," he said, picking up a cookie and taking a bite. Three different Defense books were spread out in front of Sirius as he sat researching the different ways to use a diffindo in a duel. Fifteen inches were due on his first day back for Charms. "You're cooking is even better than the house elves' at Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Sirius," Sally said, smiling. "An for the last time, it's just Sally."

"Right, Sally," Sirius said. "Thanks for letting me stay, too. Do you know when Percy's getting back?"

"I don't know," Sally said. "However long it takes to cross the country and find Annabeth." Sally looked away towards the window.

Sirius stood and rested a hand on her arm. "You're worried," he said softly. "You're worried he won't come back."

"I always do," Sally replied. She rested her hand over Sirius'. "And I worry about him when he's away at school or camp. To be honest, the only time I don't worry about him is when he's right in front of me where I can see him."

Sirius froze, staring at Sally. He couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have a mother who actually cared; what it would feel like to get a hug from a mother.

"I worried about you too, Sirius," Sally said suddenly. "While you were away at your school."

"Why?" Sirius asked quietly. "I'm just a friend of your son's."

Sally took Sirius' hands in her own and squeezed. "You're like a brother to Percy. He would be heartbroken if you died." Sirius cringed at thought. "But there's another thing. You've never known the love of a mother, Sirius. I could tell it the moment I saw you." Sirius opened his mouth to argue, but Sally held up a hand. "It wasn't obvious, just a motherly instinct we old timers have." A smile curled Sirius' lips. "My heart went out to you, Sirius. And seeing you with Percy? I consider you a part of this family. I don't just let any old demigods camp out on my couch."

Sirius' smile widened. He wrapped his arms around Sally. "Thank you," he whispered.

* * *

Sirius could honestly say that when he walked into the apartment, he wasn't expecting the strange man with salt and pepper hair. Sirius and the man stared at each other for a moment before the man smiled widely and stuck out his hand.

"You must be Sally's son."

"Excuse me?" Sirius asked. "No, I'm Percy's friend Sirius. I'm staying with Sally for my winter break. Percy's visiting some of his friends."

"Sorry," the man said. "I just assumed. I'm Paul Blofis."

"Nice to meet you," Sirius said, albeit a little awkwardly. He shook the man's hand. "You know where Sally is?"

"She's just getting changed," Paul said. "She'll be down in a moment."

Sirius and Paul stood together in an awkward silence for several minutes until Sally came rushing down the stairs in a nice dress. Sirius stared at her with wide eyes as she kissed Paul's cheek. Out of the corner of her eye, she must have seen him because as soon as she released Paul from her hug, she was on Sirius, crushing him to her chest.

"I didn't expect you for another five hours, Sirius!" she exclaimed, clucking her tongue and looking him up and down. "You've lost weight since I last saw you."

Sirius could feel his cheeks burning. Paul was most definitely not-so-subtly staring at him. "Sorry?" Sirius said, but his voice tilted up at the end, and it sounded like more of a question.

Sally frowned disapprovingly before suddenly getting flustered and turning to Paul. "Oh, Paul, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize Sirius was coming so early. Do you think we could reschedule?"

"No!" Sirius shouted before Paul could say a word. The blush was back full force. "I'll be fine by myself for a few hours, Sally, really. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your plans."

"But Sirius," Sally started to say.

"We can really go out any day," Paul agreed with her.

"Absolutely not," Sirius said, placing a hand on the upper back of each adult and starting to shove them towards the door. "I promise not to have any parties. I'll just watch some Disney movies. Percy showed me them this summer; they're great!"

Sirius groaned as he shut the door behind a heavily protesting Sally and Paul. Sally had a boyfriend. Did Percy know? The thought of Percy's face when he found out alone made Sirius smirk. He went to the TV with a copy of 101 Dalmations, and he struggled to remember how Percy had put the VHS in. Gods, this was confusing.

* * *

"Why is Sirius staying with you?" Paul asked Sally cautiously. "Shouldn't he be with his family?"

Sally sighed. She figured these questions would be unavoidable. "Sirius' birth mother isn't the...nicest person in the world," Sally started. "I haven't know Sirius all that long, but, according to Percy, Sirius' mother and stepfather disowned him when he was thirteen. They told him who his father was, and Sirius came here looking for him. As far as I know, Sirius and his father get along well enough, but his father is a pretty high up there businessman and hardly spends any time at home. Sirius normally spends the winter break at his boarding school in Scotland, but I thought it would be nice if he got to spend a real Christmas with a family."

"You really are something else, Sally Jackson," Paul said with a large smile. "He really looks up to you."

"How can you tell?" Sally asked. Inside, she was bubbling with joy at the idea.

"Call it a teacher's intuition," Paul said jokingly with a wink.

* * *

Sally's couch had absolutely no right being so ridiculously comfy, Sirius decided. He had absolutely no urge to get off it. It was just so damn comfy.

"Sirius!"

Percy's voice startled Sirius so much, he fell off the couch. He groaned as he lifted himself off the floor and rolled over to sit up. He threw his hands back behind him and looked up at Percy's' face in the IM. Percy was filthy, standing in a bathroom with a red haired girl Sirius had never seen before.

"Hoover Dam," Percy panted out. "Help, now, please!"

"Just ten seconds," Sirius replied, jumping to his feet. He slashed through the image of Percy and the mystery girl and grabbed a pen and paper. He scratched a quick note to Sally and left it on the coffee table. He didn't have the time to wait to tell Sally where he was going. Sirius squeezed his eyes as tightly shut as he could and focused as hard as he could on the bathroom Percy had IMed him from.

The shadows came to Sirius easily enough, but he could feel the strain. Sirius was tired, hence he had been napping. Controlling the shadows took a lot of energy, energy Sirius would need by the state Percy had been in. The shadows wrapped around Sirius and released him. He opened his eyes to Percy and the redhead.

"That did not just happen," the redhead said, staring at Sirius with wide green eyes. For a moment, he was reminded of Lily Evans. "Did you just-"

"Yes," Sirius said with an eyeroll. He just managed to hide his slight stagger from Percy as he stepped forward. Gods, he was tired. Perhaps, he should have eaten breakfast this morning. "What's going on, Percy?" Sirius asked. "Where are Thalia and Grover?"

"We got separated," Percy said. He was still panting slightly. "We were attacked by these skeleton things. I thought you might be able to help kill them."

"Kill them?" Sirius asked. What kind of skeleton things? Sirius wondered. Oh, gods no! "Percy, were these things made by a dragon tooth, do you know?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Percy asked.

"Luke mentioned them years ago," Sirius said, groaning. "They can only be killed by a child of the Underworld or by themselves."

"What the hell?" the red-haired girl shouted. "What is going on?"

"You should just forget about it all," Sirius said, glaring at the girl. They so did not have time for this. "Percy, we gotta go like now!"

Percy nodded, lifting his sword. Completely ignoring the mortal girl's shout of, "Wait!," the two demigods burst out of the bathroom and down the hall. Percy quickly took the lead. Sirius followed the slightly younger boy down different halls and up several staircases to a cafeteria. They ran straight to where Grover and Thalia were just sitting down with a dark-haired girl Sirius had never seen before.

"Grover, Thalia, Zoë," Percy said, panting. "We have to go now. The skeletons are here. Sirius can kill them."

"How do we know you're telling the truth, boy," the girl, Zoë, sneered. She was glaring at Sirius, and Sirius glared right back.

"You don't have a choice right now," he sneered right back. "I'm a son of Thanatos. I don't see anyone else hear who can kill those things."

Zoë opened her mouth to argue some more, but Thalia cut in before she could. "There's not really anytime to argue, guys."

The other four all turned their heads to see where Thalia was pointing. Three skeletons were standing in the doorway. Sirius turned and saw three more climbing out the elevator. Sirius glanced out the windows on either side of the cafeteria. To the west, three skeletons stood guard; to the east, another two. Eleven skeleton warriors total. Sirius was tired. He didn't know if he could take all eleven.

That's when Grover had the most ingenious idea. He cupped his hands to his mouth and hollered, "Burrito fight!" He grabbed the burrito he had yet to eat, and hurled it at one of the skeletons guarding the doors. The head was sent flying. All around the five companions, burritos and other foods started to go flying. In the chaos, they all managed to run out of the room.

Sirius had his hand to the pendant around his neck even as he was running. He whispered Skia's name under his breath and pulled his sword from nothingness. Sirius, Percy, Thalia, Grover, and Zoë were all outside now, facing off five angry skeletons with another six behind them. One rushed forwards, and Sirius swung Skia in a large arc, cutting the skeleton in half. It burst up in angry red flames. Sirius cringed back, shocked by what happened. None of the others seemed that surprised as the flames died away to a pile of ashes.

The other skeletons seemed to grow wary of Sirius after that. They refused to come any closer. Instead, the raised their guns and fired. Sirius hardly had the time to raise his hands and summon a barricade of shadows around the entire group. As soon as the guns stopped firing, Sirius dropped the shadow wall and raised his sword again. He could hardly lift the blade, so drained was he. His eyelids were fluttering, and he couldn't hear anything around him. Another skeleton charged, and Sirius just barely managed to swing his sword to dispatch the warrior. He stumbled back as it burst into flames, landing heavily against Percy.

The younger boy wrapped his arms around Sirius to support him as the skeletons raised their guns again to fire. Sirius couldn't even find the energy in himself to attempt to lift his arms again and summon a shadow shield. The first one had taken too much energy out of him. Sirius was fully prepared to get shot when his vision went completely bronze. Am I hallucinating? he wondered. What's happening? Is this what it feels like to die? You'd think I'd know that. The bronze started to shift, and Sirius was able to see for a minute before everything went entirely black.

* * *

"Percy?" Sirius moaned as he opened his crusty eyes. He lifted his hands and rubbed at his eyes, blinking in the bright light. "Wha's goi' ah?"

"The bronze angels saved us, Sirius," Percy said. He was curled up across from Sirius, wrapped in a strong bronze arm. "Are you okay? What happened back there? You just blacked out!" As Percy kept talking, his voice got more and more frantic.

"'M fine, Perce," Sirius mumbled. He yawned widely. "Jus' tire' an' hungrah. Where're we?"

"Just above 'Frisco," a deep voice rumbled. Sirius looked up and gulped. A giant statue of an angel was clutching him to its chest. In the angel's other arm, Thalia and Percy were squished up against each other. "Where do you guys want to land?"

"There," Zoë suggested. "By the Embarcadero Building."

"Good thinking," the angel holding Zoë and Grover said. "Me and Hank can blend in with the pigeons."

Everyone looked at him.

"Kidding," he said. "Sheesh, can't angels have a sense of humor?"

At that point, Sirius had to stop listening. They had begun to descend, and the angel made his head spin like James on the quidditch pitch. The ground was coming towards them at an insane speed, and Sirius had to squeeze his eyes shut to prevent himself from throwing up the only thing in his stomach, acid.

The only warning Sirius got of their landing was a heavy thump. Sirius was plopped down on the ground not entirely gently, and then the angels were gone. Sirius staggered over to Percy and leaned up against him, still feeling sick. Never again would he go flying if he could help it.

"Sirius?" Percy asked worriedly.

"What is wrong with thee, boy?" Zoë asked.

Sirius didn't have the energy to glare at her. "You try holding up a wall of shadows for five minutes after not eating anything all day and getting hardly any sleep," he grumbled. "Tell me how you feel then."

Zoë didn't answer him. She turned to the others. Sirius watched as they discussed what to do next. They agreed to figure out who the mystery monster was, which Sirius was too tired to ask about, and that they'd need to speak to Nereus about who the monster was. Zoë took the lead leading them to their destination.

Sirius stood on the docks with the others as Percy caught a hold of Nereus, refusing to let go of the old man. The god jumped into the ocean, but still Percy held on, even when Nereus changed Sirius was fairly impressed. Nereus eventually came up to the dock with Percy.

"One question," he said. "That's all I'm answering."

"Alright," Percy said. He seemed rather put out. "Tell me where to find this terrible monster that could bring an end to the gods. The one Lady Artemis was hunting."

"Oh that's too easy," Nereus said, smirking. He pointed down. "It's right there."

"Where?" Percy asked, but it was too late. Nereus had already disappeared.

"Âne(Jackass)," Sirius cursed under his breath. Zoë looked at him with a heavy blush, and Thalia sniggered. Percy and Grover didn't even look over, so Sirius assumed they hadn't heard him.

"He tricked me!" Percy yelled in frustration.

"Wait!" Thalia said. "What is that?"

"MOOOOOOOO!"

Everyone looked into the water and stared at the cow serpent that was staring up adoringly at Percy.

"Ah, Bessie," Percy said. "Not now."

"Mooo!"

Sirius stared in horror at the creature as the others conversed about it. This couldn't be. It had to have come back now, of all times. Right when Luke was trying to take over, the one thing that would make for sure the gods would lose any war was resurrected. It could not be coincidence.

"The power to overthrow Olympus," Thalia muttered. "That's...that's huge."

* * *

**I apologize for the abrupt ending, but I didn't want to put Thorn in at all until next chapter.**


	21. Skeletal Enemies

**I'm sorry about the delay in getting this up. School is tough right now. It's extra long to make up for the wait. I hope you enjoy.**

**Reviews:**

**cerralgrey: Thank you so much.**

**Shadowstouch: Thanks a lot. I'm glad you like it. You're exactly right about Thanatos not being able to be there for Sirius all the time. That's where Paul is going to come in with both Percy and Sirius. Don't worry about me getting burned out, though. Writing is my stress relief.**

* * *

"Yes, it is my dear," a man said from behind them. Sirius couldn't help but cringe at the fake French accent the man had. "And it is a power you shall unleash." Sirius turned around to face the man, correction, manticore. A small army of men, mercenaries, stood behind the manticore. "Isn't this just pairrr-fect?"

"Where are the skeletons?" Percy asked. "Sirius didn't kill them all."

The manticore eyed Sirius with its multi-colored eyes. "No, he did not. The Prince of Death, himself. What an honor." The manticore provided a mock-bow. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, I do not need skeletons to win a battle."

"Can't say I'm all that disappointed," Sirius replied, shrugging. However nonchalant he appeared, though, he kept his hand tightly gripped around his pendent.

"You could join our side, little princeling," the manticore said, voice cold and mocking. "I'm sure Castellan would love to have you on our side."

Sirius felt his jaw clench, and he summoned Skía from the pendent. He raised the sword, holding it steady. Zoë and Percy each raised their own weapons.

"You should shut up now," Thalia said, spear also raised.

"Ah, Thalia," the manticore said. "This is your moment. This is why Lord Kronos brought you back to life. You will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus. You will bring its entrails to the sacred fire on the mountain. You will gain unlimited power. And for your sixteenth birthday, you will overthrow Olympus."

"Thalia!" Percy said. "Snap out of it!"

"I...I don't," Thalia stammered out.

Percy's eyes met first Grover's than Sirius'. Grover raised his pipe's to his mouth and began to play a quick riff. Vines climbed up over the men, clinging to them and keeping them in place. Sirius raised the hand not holding Skía. Shadows surged forth and climbed up the mercenaries as they began to pick the vines off of themselves. Zoë lifted her bow and shot two arrows. Sirius' nose wrinkled at the smell. Fart arrows.

Percy grabbed Thalia's arm and started to run. Grover mooed to the Ophiotaurus once before following. Sirius and Zoë followed closely behind. They could all clearly hear the angry shouts of the manticore as he gave chase.

Percy had cut the top off a fountain by the time Sirius caught up with him, letting water spurt everywhere, creating a rainbow. He was throwing in a drachma, calling out the camp's and Chiron's name. Mr. D appeared on the screen instead.

"What is it, Peter Johnson?" Mr. D asked crankily.

Percy tried his best to answer. Mr. D kept retorting with sassy comments.

"We're dead," Percy groaned.

"Then, we'll die fighting," Thalia said, raising her spear.

"How noble," Mr. D said, rolling his eyes snarkily. He stifled a yawn. "So, what exactly is the problem?"

Percy went on to explain as our enemies closed in around us. Sirius didn't pay any attention. He was far too busy watching the men close in around them. Sirius raised his sword. Grover and Thalia were pressed up on either side of him. Zoë was on Thalia's other side. The men were closing in. Sirius prepared himself to lunge forwards at the energy. He cringed at the thought of attacking mortals, but there was nothing to be done when they were coming after him and his friends.

A loud crack filled the air around them. Sirius' nose was filled with the scent of grapes and sour wine. The men started acting out, behaving insane. One man put his gun between his teeth and started crawling around like a dog. Another started dancing around the street with an invisible partner only he could see.

"No!" the manticore screamed, but he was covered in vines, disappearing beneath them.

"Well, that was fun," Mr. D said, his lips twitching ever-so-slightly.

"You just-" Sirius broke off. How could he even begin to describe this?

"It's not permanent, or course." Mr. D shrugged. "It'll wear off in a few hours. I suggest you be gone by then."

"But where do we go?" Percy asked. "And what about the Ophiotaurus."

"I don't transport livestock," Mr. D said. "And the girl over there knows where to go. You'll need to enter as the sun sets." With an arrogant sniff, Mr. D swiped his hand through the mist, dissipating the image.

"Where to now?" Sirius asked.

"We need to reach the Garden of the Hesperides," Zoë said. "Located on Mount Tamalpais. We will not make it in time, though."

"And we need to figure out what to do with the Ophiotaurus," Sirius added, nodding towards the cow serpent that had appeared in the ocean next to them.

"I have an idea," Grover said. He asked Percy about how the Ophiotaurus could jump bodies of water. It was decided that Grover would lead the creature back to Camp Half-Blood. As Grover climbed onto the Ophiotaurus' back, Percy sent a quick prayer to his father for a safe journey. 'Bessie' and Grover disappeared beneath the surface.

"Now, how do we get to the mountain?" Thalia asked.

"Can you Shadow Travel us, Sirius?" Percy asked.

"Not all four of us," Sirius sighed, shaking his head. "Our best bet would be one of those muggle things. A car, I think they're called."

Zoë looked at Sirius funny, but Thalia and Percy were both too busy thinking to bother with Sirius' minimalistic knowledge of the muggle world.

"Annabeth's dad," they both said together.

* * *

Sirius stared at the children in front of him awkwardly. Why did he think staying behind would be a good idea? Oh yeah, he was hungry and Mrs. Chase said she would feed him. This wasn't his quest, anyways. But what if something bad was happening? Percy could be dying right now. Sirius swallowed thickly. He didn't want to think about that.

"Can you say something else in British?" the youngest Chase boy, Bobby, asked. "Pretty please."

"There's no such thing as British," Sirius mumbled, blushing heavily. He had never met people so fixated on his accent. The Americans were the weird ones; not him. Gods, two hours with these children had annoyed him more than Snivellus and on of his Death Eater friends could within a whole day. Maybe, Sirius shouldn't have kids.

"Are you sure about this?" Mrs. Chase's voice filtered out from the kitchen where she and Dr. Chase were.

"I have to help Annabeth," Dr. Chase said to his wife.

"I know." There was a soft sigh. "Be safe, Frederick, and make sure Annabeth is safe too."

"I will," Dr. Chase replied. "I love you."

"Love you too."

The kitchen door swung open, and Dr. Chase walked into the living room. His eyes connected with Sirius'. Sirius could see the worry clearly. This man was clearly worried for his daughter. Sirius couldn't help but think if Sally Jackson was worried about him along with her real son. Or did she just feel bad for him?

"I'm going to get my daughter back," Dr. Chase said. "Will you come with me?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "I'm worried sick about Percy, and I won't be able to relax until I see him safe in front of me. I'm coming."

"Us too!" Matthew and Bobby shouted.

"Absolutely not," Dr. Chase said. "You need to stay and help your mother keep guard over the house."

"Really?" Matthew asked dubiously.

"Of course," Sirius said. "You two need to help keep your mum safe from any stray monsters."

Matthew and Bobby nodded to each other before marching into the kitchen to join their mother. Dr. Chase sent Sirius a grateful look as the two stepped towards the door.

* * *

"I am never flying again!" Sirius shouted over the roar of the engine as the plane dive-bombed towards some monsters, shooting celestial bronze bullets at the army on top of the mountain.

His eyes scanned the ground. Zoë and a young girl were fighting a giant of a man. Percy was kneeling nearby them, struggling under the weight of what appeared to be a vortex. Annabeth was lying unconscious by his feet. What truly drew Sirius' eyes was Thalia. She was by the edge of a cliff, fighting Luke, and losing.

"Get me over there," Sirius yelled, pointing at Thalia and Luke.

Dr. Chase somehow managed to maneuver the plane so that it flew by the pair. Sirius inched open the passenger door and slid out, standing on the right wing of the plane. He shut the door and jumped. He stumbled a bit as he landed, but he managed to right himself just in time, summoning Skía from his pendent.

"Hey, Luke," Sirius shouted, running towards the blond boy.

Luke looked towards Sirius just long enough for Thalia to switch her position with the older boy's. Luke was now the one backed up against the cliff edge.

"Sirius," he said calmly, seemingly not worried by his newfound predicament. "Are you really sure this is what you want to be doing? Are you positive you're on the right side of the war?"

"Tais-toi, con,"(Shut up, prick) Sirius said. He could feel the tears filling up his eyes. This was war. Brothers turned against brothers. Could Sirius really hurt the boy he used to look up to, though?

"Oh, come on, Sirius," Luke goaded.

The blond swung his sword, and Sirius countered with his own. Both boys got lost in the motion of the deadly dance. They would swing, block, and duck, both in tune with one another's movements. Each boy was waiting for the other to mess up.

Sirius didn't see it coming when it happened. Luke feinted left, and Sirius fell for it. The other boy changed directions, though. Luke lunged at Thalia. Sirius dived for him, jumping in front of Thalia at the last possible second. The bronze and steel sword slid easily through Sirius' unguarded midsection. At first, none of the pain registered. It all came rushing in at once, swarming Sirius' senses. Black dots danced in front of his eyes. It hurt. Gods, it hurt so bad.

"No!" Thalia screeched.

Sirius was vaguely aware of someone shouting his name over and over in the background. The pain was ebbing away, Sirius assumed shock was setting in. Had Luke really just stabbed him? It appeared Luke couldn't seem to compute that either. He was staring at Sirius, horrified. His jaw hung wide open, and his eyes were bulging. He didn't notice Thalia lunging at him and knocking him over the edge of the cliff. Sirius felt sick. His vision was tunneling. Was this what it was like to die? The last thing Sirius saw was the brilliant stars in the sky. Not even at Hogwarts were they so bright.

* * *

"Dad?" Sirius groaned, blinking his eyes open.

"Don't move," Thanatos grunted. He rested a cool hand on his son's sweaty forehead. You're ill. There is only so much nectar and ambrosia your body can intake before you start to burn up. It appears you have just about reached your limit."

"Am I dying?"

"No." Thanatos gently rested a cool, wet flannel on Sirius' forehead. "You will live. It was close for awhile, but Apollo healed you well when you reached him. You just need to finish flushing the extra nectar from your system."

"'Kay," Sirius mumbled. He closed his eyes. "Love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Sirius," Thanatos said. He lifted the cloth and placed a gentle kiss on Sirius' forehead. "Sleep, now."


	22. Healing

**Finally got this out.**

**Reviews:**

**Skiing-girl: Thanks a lot. I'm really sorry about the wait.**

* * *

Sirius sat with his head in Travis' lap. The son of Hermes was running his fingers through Sirius' curly locks. Connor sat leaning against Travis' left side. Sirius was still slightly feverish from all the nectar and ambrosia he had taken in, so Lee Fletcher had ordered him to stay inside for the next couple days. Everything was happening in a blur to him.

Chris was gone. He had left sometime between Sirius arriving at the Jackson's apartment and Sirius arriving at camp. Chris had joined Luke, joined Kronos.

Luke.

Sirius could still see his face as he had been pushed over the edge of the cliff. Could still see the shock on the older boy's face as the blade pierced Sirius middle. Sirius bit his lip. He refused to cry for the traitor. He had looked up to Luke, and the older boy had betrayed the camp, betrayed Sirius. Every time Sirius thought about Luke, he wanted to cry.

"You should get some sleep, Sirius," Travis mumbled. He and Connor gingerly stood up so as not to disturb Sirius. "We'll be in the bunk next to yours if you need us." The two brothers moved in sync to the next bunk over. Travis laid down on the bottom bunk while Connor climbed to the top.

Sirius closed his eyes. He was in for another fitful night of sleep. Another night of nightmares. They had been coming nonstop since Luke had stabbed him with that blade. The cursed blade. Made of mortal steel and celestial bronze. No weapon was meant to look like that.

Sleep came easily enough. It always did. Sirius was constantly tired these days. He slept ten hours every night, at least. Yet, every morning when he woke up, Sirius felt even more tired than he had before he went to bed. Maybe this night would be his night.

* * *

The fire was pain unlike anything else. Sirius thrashed around in his chains. It was impossible to break free. He wished he could. Oh, how he wished he could. Luke was standing over him. The bronze and steel blade glinted over him , Sirius would give anything to get away from him. Green greek fire gave just enough light for Sirius to see the mad glint in Luke's gold eyes. Except, that wasn't right. Luke's eyes were blue. A chuckle, deeper than Luke's own, left the blond boy's lips. Sirius screamed as the sword pierced his stomach again.

* * *

Sirius was still screaming when he woke up with someone's arms around him. He struggled harder and harder as the man's grip, it was definitely a man's, grew tighter.

"Calm yourself, Sirius."

The deep voice instantly relaxed Sirius. It was both smoother and kinder than the laugh from his dream, though it was just as deep. Sirius rolled over and buried his face into the soft fabric covering his father's chest.

"Dad," he croaked out through harsh sobs. "Dad, it was so bad. It hurts."

"I know," Thanatos mumbled soothingly, running his fingers through his son's sweaty, knotted locks. "You're safe now. I've got you."

And for the next several minutes, Sirius clung to his father and cried.

When Sirius was done crying, he wiped his eyes and looked up at his father. Thanatos looked back at his son with worry. He stroked the back of his hand over Sirius' flushed face.

"You are warm," he said.

Sirius' face grew darker red. "It was just a bad dream. I'm sorry. Did you need something?"

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Thanatos said. He shifted so he was sitting with Sirius curled into his side. "As a matter of fact, I did come to ask you for a favor, but you were having a bad dream, and I feel that is much more important. I shall talk to your uncle and tell him to tell his son to stop bothering you."

"Dad," Sirius groaned. "I'm fine. It was just this one time." Thanatos gave Sirius a look, but the demigod didn't back down. "What did you need from me?"

Thanatos still looked worriedly at his son, but he sat straighter at the mention of his reason for coming. "It's more of a favor for Lord Hades, really," he said. "As I'm sure you are aware, Nico di Angelo, Hades' son, has gone missing from the camp. Lord Hades has had a disc commissioned that will allow whoever is in possession of the disc to see anywhere the shadows touch. The catch is Lady Hecate made it, so it runs off magic."

"So you need a wizard?" Sirius asked. He sat up on his bed and brought his arms around his knees, pulling them to his chest.

"We might," Thanatos said, nodding his head. He sat up as well, leaning back against Sirius' headboard.

Sirius laughed slightly to himself. "I'll do it. I would've done even if you didn't specifically need a wizard."

"Thank you, Sirius," Thanatos said. He snapped his fingers and an onyx disc appeared on Sirius' lap, about half a foot in diameter. An inch-wide silver rim went around the edges with 'Αφήστε τα σκιές καθοδηγήσει το δρόμο σας. Αφήστε το σκοτάδι σας φέρει στο σπίτι.'

"Afíste ta skiés kathodigísei to drómo sas. Afíste to skotádi sas férei sto spíti," Sirius mumbled under his breath. He looked to his father. "Hecate's got a flare for drama, huh. 'Let the shadows guide your way. Let the darkness bring you home.'"

"Is that what it says?" Thanatos asked. He chuckled lowly. "She always has been the dramatic one."

"Right," Sirius said. "So how does this work?"

"Just put your hand on it, I think," Thanatos said.

"You think?" Sirius turned to face his father with his eyes wide. "You mean you don't know?"

"I'm not a wizard." Thanatos shrugged and looked down at the disc. "I do not know the specifics."

Sirius looked back at the disc in his lap. He took his hand and placed it on the center of the disc. For a second, nothing happened, but then a soft wave of darkness ran over the disc and an image appeared.

Nico was standing between two steel walls that appeared to go on for miles. A shimmery form was standing next to him. Sirius instantly recognized the being as a ghost. Nico was speaking to the ghost. Sirius could just barely hear the whispers in his head, though he couldn't quite make out what was being said. Nico nodded once to the ghost and started walking down the long corridor.

"He's in a hallway made of steel," Sirius said aloud. "There was a ghost with him. They were speaking, then Nico turned and walked down the hallway."

"It is as we feared then," Thanatos muttered to himself. "He is in the Labyrinth. I must go and speak with Hades. Good bye, Sirius." Thanatos melted into the shadows of Sirius' room.

"Wait, Dad!" Sirius shouted, but the god was already gone. Sirius groaned and fell back onto his bed. He threw an arm over his face. "Great."


	23. Curses

**New chapter. Yay!**

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**Guest: I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Sirius smiled into his kiss with Marlene. It seemed the break from each other had been just what they needed. A month back in Hogwarts, and their relationship was perfect. Marlene smiled as she pulled away from Sirius. She held her hand out and grabbed Sirius'.

"Come on," Marlene said. "I promised Lily I would meet her in Hogsmeade."

"Do I have to go with you?" Sirius whined, a pout forming on his face. "Lily hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Marlene said. A fond smile curled her lips when Sirius gave her a look. "Okay, she doesn't really like you all that much, but I wouldn't say she hates you."

"She tells me she does almost every day," Sirius argued. "How about I walk you down to The Three Broomsticks and go hang out with James. Once your done with Lily, I'll take you down to Honeydukes."

"Sounds like a plan," Marlene said, her smile never leaving her face. She held her hand out for Sirius to grab. He took it, and they exited the common room together.

* * *

Sirius couldn't help his laugh as Regulus looked at him with wide, pleading eyes. He had forgotten how cute puppy eyes looked on his younger brother. Regulus was clutching his brother's arm tightly and begging him for help with his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay.

"Please," Regulus begged. "You and James have the top scores in your year in DADA."

"So," Sirius said, a laugh deepening his voice. "Why don't you ask someone from your own house for help? I haven't exactly been sitting in on your lessons."

"All anyone cares about in my house is becoming a Death Eater," Regulus snarled. He had dropped Sirius' arm as he spoke and was now sitting with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm sorry." Sirius wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders and pulled him into his side. "I'll help you out. What's the topic?"

Regulus looked up at Sirius with bitter eyes. His tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and he leaned against Sirius. "Different uses for Impedimenta."

"I can definitely do that," Sirius said, a large grin splitting his face. "So many fun uses for that one."

* * *

"You're positive that will work," Nico demanded, glaring at the translucent figure in front of him.

The ghost nodded to the young son of Hades. "Of course. A life for a life. A soul exchanged for another soul."

Sirius groaned as he turned away from the disc. Three and a half months. Nico had been in the Labyrinth since late December, and it was the fourteenth of April. Nico had been with that ghost for three months, and it looked like things were getting worse. Pounding on the stairs filtered through the door, and Sirius was quick to shove the disc into his trunk. James poked his head through the door.

"You ready to head down to the shack?" James asked. He stepped fully into the room. "Everyone's gone up to bed. Pete's waiting for us downstairs."

Sirius stood up, grabbing James' invisibility cloak that was sitting out on the bespectacled boy's nightstand in preparation for the full moon that night. Tossing the cloak to James, Sirius moved to the door and slid passed his best friend silently. Nights of the full moon were always ominous until they had completed their transformation. There was no telling if something would go wrong.

James followed Sirius down the stairs and into the common room where Peter was waiting, the Marauder's Map open in his hands. The three boys huddled together, and James threw the cloak over them. They made their way silently through the castle, out the front doors and down to the Whomping Willow.

When they reached the manic tree, Peter transformed into a rat and snuck over to the little knot that would freeze the tree. The branches stiffened, and Sirius and James hurried after the gray rat into the hollow under the tree. The tunnel was too small for the two sixteen year olds, and they had to resort to crawling to make it through.

James popped out of the tunnel first, immediately turning into a stag to avoid the werewolf's ire. Sirius transformed inside of the tunnel before exiting after James. A growling instantly started up as soon as Padfoot was through. Moony pounced on top of Padfoot who immediately rolled over to let the werewolf know who was in charge. Moony lightly nipped at Padfoot's neck before backing off, allowing the smaller canine to stand.

Prongs was nuzzling at Padfoot as soon as Moony backed off. Padfoot gently licked Prongs' snout before moving around to sniff the room. His nose instantly caught Wormtail's scent, and he set after the little rat for a fun game of tag. Moony happily tagged in as Prongs pranced around the room. The three animagi and the werewolf would mess around for about an hour before going out into the Forbidden Forest for some fun.

* * *

It was Easter Break. Sirius should not be this stressed. Gods he wanted to just relax right now. Maybe go and play a quick Seeker's game with James, but he couldn't. He needed to study for his damn O.W.L.s. Flipping the page of his Charms book, Sirius popped another blue chocolate chip cookie into his mouth. Sally had sent them in spirit of the holiday, even though the Jacksons didn't actually celebrate Easter. Neither did Sirius, for that matter. Even before finding out who his biological father was, Easter was more of a holiday for the Muggleborns in the wizarding world. Not the Purebloods.

"Need some help there, baby cousin," a high voice simpered from behind him.

Sirius flinched, whipping his head around fast enough to make his neck ache. Bellatrix Black stood directly in front of him. It just had to be her, didn't it? It couldn't have been her older sister Andromeda? She was fairly nice. Even Narcissa, the youngest daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black, would have been better than Bellatrix. He deep brown hair floated around her head in tight, wild kinks, as if she had stuck her finger in a muggle electrical socket. The genetic Black family madness glinted in her crazed eyes.

"Not really, Bella, no," Sirius said. He moved to turn back to his book, but Bellatrix caught his shoulder, preventing him from moving.

"But we could have such fun," Bellatrix said. She pulled out her wand and flicked it, a silencing charm coming up around the two Blacks. She grabbed Sirius' tie and pulled him up by it. "Don't you want to have fun with cousin Bella, baby Siri?"

"Not particularly," Sirius grunted hoarsely. His necktie had strangled him slightly, and now his vocal cords were aching. Bellatrix took her wand a dug it into Sirius' gut. She muttered something and intense pain made its way throughout Sirius' body, rendering him motionless but pliant.

* * *

The bright light of the sun shining through the Hospital Wing's large windows momentarily blinded Sirius as he blinked awake. Everything was blurry from sleep at first. He could just barely make out Marlene sitting by his bedside, holding his hand.

"Uhn," Sirius groaned eloquently. He tried to roll over completely to face Marlene, but his entire body protested.

"Careful, Padfoot," James said from the other side of the bed.

Sirius turned his head slightly to see the other boy looking at him worriedly.

"Wha' happened?" Sirius groaned. He laid his head back against the soft pillow. Every part of his body hurt. He could hardly move.

"You were attacked in the library," Marlene said. Her grip on Sirius' hand tightened. "They couldn't figure out who did it. You were bleeding pretty bad, Siri."

"Bellatrix," Sirius grumbled under his breath. "Thank Merlin she's graduating this year."

"Sirius, she'll be expelled for what she did. It took forever for them to figure out how to stop the bleeding and close the wounds."

"They won't be able to prove it," Sirius said. He leaned back against the hard pillow and stared at the ceiling. It wouldn't be a good idea to tell his demigod friends about this, right?

* * *

His O.W.L.s were finally finished, and Sirius just wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, the letter sitting on his bed with his name in beautiful cursive was preventing him from it. Sirius sighed as he ripped open the paper envelope. It was from Sally. He couldn't not answer it right away. She would probably worry and think the worst.

Dear Sirius,

I received a fascinating letter the other day from your friend James. When, exactly, were you going to tell me you were attacked? I am worried sick right now, and if you do not respond immediately to this letter, I will find a way to come see you myself!

Love,

Sally

P.S. I am entirely serious.

Sirius groaned as he set down the letter and pulled a blank piece of parchment towards himself. He was going to kill James for telling Sally. He hadn't wanted to tell her until he could talk to her face to face so she wouldn't worry too much. It was too late for that now. Sirius grabbed a quill and dipped it in some ink.  
Dear Mum,

I'm absolutely fine. There was no permanent damage, and Madame Pomfrey fixed me right up. I'm really sorry for not telling you right away, but I thought it would be better to do it face to face. It was not my intention to make you worry so much. Besides, I'll be home in less than two weeks. All of testing is over, and school will let out soon. I promise, I'll see you soon.

Love,

Sirius

It was only after Sirius had placed a drachma on the letter and it had disappeared thanks to Hermes that he realized he had addressed the letter to Mum.

* * *

Sally couldn't help the large smile that split her face when she saw the way Sirius addressed the letter. It was even worth Percy's odd stares.


	24. Into the Labyrinth

**Reviews:**

**Risa Silvara: Nico and Sirius meet at the end of this chapter! I don't think I'll have Nico be a wizard, but he is so moving in with Sirius and James after they graduate. Can you just imagine those three running around London together?**

**ghostmistwho: THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

**JelloGirl323: Thanks so much. Percy won't be back in the story until next chapter, but he will definitely be yelling at Sirius for getting hurt.**

* * *

Sirius stared at the scrawny boy in front of him. He had never met Nico di Angelo in person, but he had assumed the boy would appear bigger. Nico di Angelo was smaller than most Hogwarts first years, and the way he was sitting curled up against the wall made him look even smaller. Sirius felt a need to protect this boy from the horrors of the world, in the same way he felt he needed to protect Regulus.

Nico glanced around the narrow passage way he was sitting in. He felt so open right here. The Labyrinth was freaky in its own right. On top of that, Nico could knew for a fact there was at least one dead person watching him. He knew the eyes he felt on him were probably Minos', but Nico couldn't help but feel freaked out. What if it wasn't Minos.

There was no use thinking like that, though. If it was a monster watching him, he could always just run or use his sword. Nico shuddered and huddled closer to the wall. Minos should have been there by now. The ghost was almost never late when they were going to talk about ways to bring Nico's sister, Bianca back to life. Minos had just brought up a good idea the ghostly king of Crete.

Everything was eerily quiet in the hall. Nico had never been afraid of the dark, but silence had always freaked him out. If it was quiet, then he was alone. There was nothing he hated more than being alone. Nico had been alone with no one but ghosts for over five months now.

* * *

Nico was sitting in front of a blue fire, much like the bluebell flames Remus loved to conjure. Sirius was pretty sure this fire wasn't nearly as harmless. Sirius knew they were in the Underworld, but he could not pinpoint where, exactly. He had never before been outside his father's palace while down here. Nico was ripping up old trading cards and throwing them into the flames.

Nico had lost a substantial amount of weight in just the month Sirius had been following. The boy, who looked younger than a first-year Hogwarts student, was no more than skin and bones. The large jacket the boy wore did not help much.

Nico mumbled something to himself, and a ghostly voice answered, the apparition fading into existence next to Nico. Sirius scowled at the ghost. Minos, king of Crete, leader of the council of judges at the gates to the Underworld. He had never personally met the Ghost King, but, from what he had overheard while following Nico, Sirius was not a fan.

Nico's mumbling continued. The ghost sat next to the young boy, whispering in his ear. Sirius cursed his inability to be able to hear the whispers being passed between the pair. He had a feeling whatever Minos was talking to Nico about was not a good thing.

Sirius wrapped the shadows around himself. If he could stay hidden, perhaps he could hear what they were talking about. Sirius crept as quietly as he could towards Nico and Minos. There whispers were getting louder, and he could just barely make out a few words here and there if he stretched his ears.

"Do you sense that?" Minos asked loudly.

"What?" Nico stood and glanced around.

"Someone is lurking in the shadows." Minos began to move, searching for someone spying on them.

Sirius mentally cursed. Now would not be a good time to be discovered by Minos. Sirius let the shadows melt into him and take him back into the Labyrinth. He would have to wait awhile before going to find Nico once more. It appeared Minos could sense disturbances in the shadows. That was not good for Sirius. Not good at all

* * *

The skeletons were rather quick about digging the grave. Sirius stayed hidden about thirty feet away from Nico. He had kept his cover so far, it would really suck to be found out now. Nico probably wouldn't take being followed the best.

Minos was back again, instructing Nico on how to summon the dead. Nico was going to try and talk to his sister again. Sirius knew she wouldn't come. Bianca di Angelo had been watching over her little brother this entire time, staying hidden in the shadows much like Sirius. Her ghost would not come.

Nico sent the skeletons away. He took two 12-packs of coke and dumped them into the grave. He took three bagged lunches he had bought at some restaurant Sirius hadn't heard of before and dumped them in as well. Then, Nico began to chant. Sirius knew the words well. It was an old summoning ritual his father had taught him while he was training under him the previous summer. Dozens of ghosts streamed out of the grave.

The hero Theseus was the one to step forwards. He stood tall in front of Nico. Nico began to demand answers about the trade of a soul for a soul.

It won't work, Sirius thought to himself. Bianca di Angelo is smart. She will not let herself return to the land of the living. She knows her spirit belongs in Hades.

"Give it up, Nico," Sirius whispered. "Bringing her back will torture her."

* * *

Sirius woke to a sword to his throat.

"Who are you?" Nico hissed. His eyes glistened with hatred as he glared down at Sirius. "Why are you following me?"

Sirius gave a cursory glance down at the sword pointed at him before speaking. "My name is Sirius Black. I'm a son of Thanatos. You're father asked me to watch over you."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Despite the hostility in his tone, Nico had stepped back slightly and was allowing Sirius to sit up.

"I swear on the Styx everything I just said is true. I'm here to protect you, Nico."

Nico lowered his sword as thunder rumbled through the air. His face softened, and his entire body seemed to relax.

"You're not dead, are you?" Nico asked.

Sirius couldn't help his laughter. "No. I'm a demigod just like you. I'm sixteen, and I attend a boarding school in Scotland. I am very much alive, thank you."

"Oh." Nico shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "I just assumed 'cause my father sent you."

"Yeah, no," Sirius grinned widely at Nico and stood up. "So where exactly are we going?"

"The Triple G Ranch to visit Geryon." Nico pressed his hand to a little triangle on the wall and opened a passage out of the Labyrinth. "Minos says he might be able to help me with my sister. You know about that, right?"

"I do," Sirius tried not to let his face darken too much at the thought of resurrecting the dead. "After you, Nico."


	25. Daedalus' Workshop

**So...yeah. There's been quite a delay with this chapter, and I'm really sorry about that. The more I use the book, the harder I find it to write because I need to follow the book closely. That's why Hogwarts chapters come so much quicker, because there's no specific things I need to do, no specific dialogue I must follow.**

**Anyways, sorry for the delay.**

* * *

Sirius was alone when he woke up. Of course. Leave it to the son of Hades to attempt sneaking off in the middle of the night. Especially after being given explicit instructions _not_ to do just that. Sirius rose from the couch Eurytion, the new owner of Triple G Ranch after Percy Jackson himself killed Geryon, had given him to sleep on these past few nights. The very same day Sirius and Nico had arrived at the ranch, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson had shown up as well. Geryon, the monster Nico had been trying to do business with, though Nico still hadn't told Sirius what that business was, had had them all tied up within an hour awaiting pick-up to be taken to Luke. The older demigod was apparently paying well for powerful half-bloods. Percy had made a bet with Geryon and then killed him, setting the rest of them free. Nico and Sirius had stayed behind whilst the others went on the continue their quest through the Labyrinth.

And now Sirius most likely had to go back into that godsforsaken place because Nico di Angelo was a bloody idiot, plain and simple. Sirius couldn't wait for Hogwarts to start back up. He was so glad he'd finally finished becoming an animagus. After the first time, the transformation was a simple matter of wills, and Sirius quickly became a grim. He stuck his nose to the ground and began following Nico's scent.

Nico's trail led to the entrance of the Labyrinth, something Sirius could easily have guessed. Nico's old scent from when they had arrived still lingered, and Sirius went in the opposite direction, following the new trail. It was only a matter of minutes before he reached Nico again. He ran out in front of the younger boy and transformed back into a human.

Nico screamed. Loud gasps escaped his gaping mouth as he stared at Sirius in fright. Sirius couldn't help his smirk.

"Didn't think you were losing me that easily, did you?" he asked, his smirk still in place.

"You were just a dog," Nico muttered, stunned.

"Grim, actually," Sirius said casually. "So where are we going, exactly?"

"To find Percy." Nico wiped the look of shock off his face. "Are you coming?"

"Sure," Sirius said. He followed Nico down the tunnel. "Do you know where Percy is, exactly?"

* * *

They had made pretty good progress together. Sirius wasn't entirely sure where they were heading, and he was pretty sure Nico wasn't either, but they were definitely making leeway to somewhere. Until they ran into the empousa, that is.

"Sons of the Underworld," the goat-vampire woman hissed as she stepped into the dark hall. Two Laistrygonian giants followed closely behind her. "We've been searching for you."

Nico and Sirius both pulled out their swords. Three small monsters. They could totally take them. The Laistrygonians stepped forwards, wooden clubs raised. They had to have at least three-four feet on Sirius, who was a foot-and-a-half taller than Nico. This may pose a bit of a challenge. The two giants charged and Sirius stepped in front of Nico to defend his charge. Problem was, the giants swerved around him and the empousa attacked instead.

Sirius was forced to defend himself from her sharp talons as little Nico was attacked by two giants over twice his size. So much for being a good guardian. The empousa slashed her deadly claws at him, and Sirius tried to ignore the searing pain as they raked across his stomach. He heard Nico's pained shout and turned to see the boy getting knocked over the head by on giant, sending him to his knees. Unfortunately, this meant Sirius had turned his back on his own enemy. He groaned as he felt something heavy hit the back of his head.

* * *

When Sirius awoke, he was chained by shackles and being carried by one of the Laistrygonian giants. Nico was wide-awake and grumbling in the tight hold of the giant next to them. The empousa and a familiar spirit were walking ahead of them.

"It's Minos," Nico grumbled, glaring at the ghost. "He had them capture us. He's going to force me to exchange Daedalus' soul for his own."

Sirius scowled at the ghost ahead of them. This was very much not good.

So Sirius and Nico were carried, against their will, through the Labyrinth into a room. At least Percy, Annabeth and some mortal girl Sirius found vaguely familiar were in the room, as well as a man Sirius had absolutely no recollection of. Whoever he was, Minos called him a friend.

"This was not a part of our agreement," the man argued.

"No indeed," the empousa said. "But we already have what we want from you, and we have other agreements to honor. Minos required something else from us, in order to turn over this fine young demigod." The monster ran her finger under Nico's chin before turning to Sirius. "The son of Death is an added bonus. Luke will be pleased with him. He'll be quite useful. And all Minos asked in return was your head, old man."

_Daedalus, then_, Sirius thought.

"Nico? Sirius?" Percy asked. "Are you alright?"

Nico nodded. "I-I'm sorry, Percy. I thought you might need my help, but you had already left. So I went after you, and Sirius came with me."

"You were trying to help us?" Percy blanched.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Any other time would be nice, little brother," he said.

Percy blushed and glared at the empousa. "Where's Luke?" he demanded. "Why isn't he here?"

The empousa started speaking, and the mortal girl whispered something in Percy's ear. Percy nodded, and the redhead started to back away from the two demigods.

_She better be planning a damn good escape plan!_

Annabeth and Percy charged straight towards the empousa. The giants went after Daedalus, dropping Nico and Sirius in the process. Nico immediately pulled a hair pin from his back pocket and began picking the lock. It was open in less than a minute. Sirius couldn't be more proud when Nico freed him as well.

"To me!" Minos called. "Spirits of the dead!" He raised his ghostly hands and the air began to hum.

"No!" Nico shouted as ghosts began to form in the air. He jumped to his feet. "I am the son of Hades! Be gone!"

Minos laughed. "You have no power over me!" he cackled. "I am the Lord of Spirits! The King of Ghosts!"

"No." Nico drew his sword. "I am!"

Sirius stood behind him and raised his own sword, pointing it at Minos. "And it is to the King of Ghosts which the Prince of Death will answer. Be gone spirit of hell. Leave for the Fields of Punishment where you should have gone."

"Never!" Minos shouted.

Nico stabbed his sword down into the floor. A large crevice opened, sending all the spirits down into Hades. Minos was the last to go, clinging onto the edges of the chasm. Nico stepped on his ghostly fingers, sending him down into the abyss.

Sirius turned back to the fight at hand. The empousa had leapt onto Percy, but, before she could do anything, Annabeth had run her through with her knife. That just left the Laistrygonian giants. The mortal girl had already fitted herself with wings. There were only two pairs left.

"Percy!" Sirius shouted. "Take Annabeth and the mortal and go! I'll get Nico and Daedalus out."

Percy locked eyes with Sirius. "Are you sure?" Sirius nodded and pushed Percy towards where Annabeth and the mortal were waiting for him. Both already had wings on.

"We'll see you at Camp!" Annabeth yelled to Sirius as she and the others jumped out of the window.

Sirius smirked and turned towards the giants. He wouldn't let them get the better of him this time. He swung his sword at the back of one's neck, and its head came clean off. The other one turned to Sirius, a lopsided scowl further uglying its lumpy face. Sirius lunged forward, his sword burying itself into the Laistrygonian's chest. It had been too easy at that point. He turned to Daedalus.

"Come here. I'll shadow travel us all to a safe place."

Daedalus shook his head and rested his palm on the overly large head of a hellhound. "I'll stick with Mrs. O'Leary. You take the boy to a safe place."

The inventor said no more as he hopped aboard his hellhound and rode her into the shadows. Sirius turned to Nico and wrapped an arm around the pale boy's waist. Nico simply rested on Sirius' body. Open the chasm to the Underworld had taken a lot out of him. Sirius stepped into the shadows and felt them meld around him, focusing on Camp Half-Blood. Of course, he in no way expected to end up in California, standing next to one Percy Jackson.


End file.
